Major operation in D

Hotel collapsed: last survivors rescued

The emergency services breathe a sigh of relief: All the survivors have been rescued.(Bild: APA/AFP/Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN)

The emergency services are breathing a sigh of relief after the hotel collapsed in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, killing two people: Late on Wednesday evening, the last survivor was rescued from the rubble.

After holding out in the collapsed building in Kröv for over 24 hours, the woman was pulled out of the rubble to applause. According to the police, the emergency services had previously used heavy equipment from a specialist company to reach the woman. According to the police, they had "voice contact" with her and were able to provide her with fluids. A man was still lying under the rubble, who had died in the collapse - as had another woman.

The rescue of a child from the rubble(Bild: APA/AFP/NonStopNews)

Parts of the hotel collapsed late on Tuesday evening - only five people were able to rescue themselves from the building. Eight people were trapped in the rubble, some of them seriously injured. The emergency services quickly made contact with some of them via cell phone. It is still unclear how parts of the building collapsed. According to the police, local residents called the emergency services late on Tuesday evening. 

Construction work was being carried out on the building shortly before the collapse
Head of operations Jörg Teusch explained that construction work had been taking place on the building shortly before the collapse. Expert reports and investigations would now have to show whether these were materially connected to the collapse. The basic structure of the building dates back to the 17th century, said Teusch. "Another two and a half storeys were added to the ground floor around 1980." At that time, a basic structure was built over hollow chamber ceilings with supporting structures. "That's where the crux of the matter was, that the first floor collapsed completely," says the head of operations. 

Kröv is located on the Moselle river in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which borders Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Many tourists visit the region, which is known for its winegrowing, especially in summer.