A hotel in Germany collapsed on Tuesday, killing two people and leaving others trapped.
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First responders rushed to the hotel in Kröv, a town on the Mosel River, to rescue survivors. There were 14 people inside at the time of the incident. Five people were able to escape, while two — a man and a woman — died, and others were left trapped.
Officials are unsure of the cause of the collapse. However, according to a Bernkastel-Wittlich district spokesperson, “[the] second floor had collapsed onto the first floor, causing the middle floor to disappear.”
While the cause of the collapse remains unknown, a Bernkastel-Wittlich district spokesperson told The New York Times that the “second floor had collapsed onto the first floor, causing the middle floor to disappear.”
This made it especially difficult to rescue those still inside.
“We have to proceed with caution because the entire building structure is like a house of cards. If we pull on the wrong card, this building is sure to collapse,” Joerg Teusch, the fire and disaster protection inspector for the Bernkastel-Wittlich district, told the Associated Press.
German Hotel Collapse Leaves 2 Dead and Several Trapped
The first few people to be saved were a family. Rescuers saved a 2-year-old child, who was uninjured, and the baby’s mother, who had minor injuries. Later, the child’s father was also rescued. Eventually, the remaining guests were removed from the building as well.
“We all had tears in our eyes and I still feel the same now. The whole story has a very emotional component, because when we arrived, when we looked at the building, it looked like we weren’t taking anyone out,” Teusch said.
The rescue mission called for the help of 250 emergency workers, in addition to rescue dogs.
“There was no option [to use] stairs, house entrances, doors or windows, because they were simply no longer there,” Teusch said.
According to several outlets, the original German hotel building dates back to the 17th century. Fortunately, the last person trapped in the rubble was rescued last night.