- Two individuals have been confirmed deceased after a partial hotel collapse in Kroev, located on the Mosel River in western Germany.
- The incident took place on Tuesday night when one floor of the structure fell, trapping some guests while five others managed to escape without injuries.
- Rescue operations have faced difficulties due to the precarious nature of the building, where two ceilings have collapsed onto one another.
A section of a hotel in a winemaking town along the Mosel River in western Germany has collapsed, resulting in two fatalities and two additional individuals still trapped in the debris hours later, authorities reported on Wednesday.
At the time of the collapse around 11 p.m. Tuesday, fourteen guests were present in the hotel in Kroev. According to police, five individuals were able to exit the building unscathed as they were not located in the area affected by the collapse. Others were not so fortunate.
Rescue teams managed to establish contact with some trapped individuals via cellphone. However, navigating to them has proven challenging due to the layers of collapsed ceilings, as noted by Joerg Teusch, fire and disaster protection inspector for the Bernkastel-Wittlich district.
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“We must proceed with extreme caution, as the entire building resembles a house of cards. If we tug at the wrong card, the entire structure is likely to give way,” he stated.
A rescuer pulls a person from the partially collapsed hotel in Kroev, Germany on Aug. 7, 2024. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP)
On Wednesday, five individuals were rescued, including a 2-year-old child who was brought out unharmed along with their mother, who sustained minor injuries. The child’s father was rescued later.
“We were all moved to tears, and I still feel that way now. This entire situation carries a significant emotional weight, especially when we arrived and assessed the building’s condition; it appeared no one could be saved,” Teusch remarked at a press conference.
Teusch indicated that the reason for the structural failure is still under investigation.
A dog is rescued from the partially collapsed hotel in Kroev, Germany on Aug. 7, 2024. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP)
The hotel structure is believed to date back to the 17th century, although additional floors were added around 1980. Building work was reported to have occurred on Tuesday, but it’s uncertain if it contributed to the collapse.
Witnesses told the regional public broadcaster SWR that they heard a loud bang followed by a significant dust cloud at the moment of the collapse.
The rescue operation involved 250 emergency responders, including drone teams and rescue dogs.
“We had no option to access through stairs, entrances, doors, or windows, as they were completely obliterated,” Teusch explained.
Debris is visible following the hotel collapse in Kroev, Germany, on Aug. 7, 2024. (Christian Schulz/Foto Hosser/dpa via AP)
Officials have evacuated 21 people from three adjacent buildings surrounding the collapsed hotel.
The hotel guests at the time of the incident were primarily German, with one Dutch family among them. Two Germans, a male and female, lost their lives.
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Kroev is situated in a scenic region of the Mosel, close to the larger resort town of Traben-Trarbach, and has a population of about 2,200.
