An incident took place in Kröv, Germany, when a hotel partially collapsed on Tuesday night, August 6, 2024. The collapse has resulted in two fatalities and Over 250 emergency workers involved including firefighters, paramedics, police, technical relief workers, special forces, rescue dog teams and drone units.
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The hotel collapse occurred in Kröv, a small town situated approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Frankfurt, within the winegrowing region of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The incident took place at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday night, August 6, 2024.
Local residents alerted the police about the collapse shortly after it occurred. Fire brigade teams were dispatched promptly.
Two people have lost their lives in the collapse, A woman in her 60s, whose body has been recovered. A male victim, whose body is yet to be retrieved from the rubble.
The second floor of the hotel collapsed onto the first floor effectively causing the middle floor to disappear and resulting in a pancake collapse. Five individuals managed to escape unharmed shortly after the collapse.
A man and a woman were confirmed dead. One of the victims was identified as a hotel manager with both victims believed to have died instantly during the collapse.
At least one person sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries including broken bones.
Initial reports indicated that three people were trapped but in contact with emergency services. The last person was rescued by Wednesday night and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The trapped individuals were communicated with via cellphones and directional microphones allowing rescuers to understand their condition and location within the rubble.
The building’s structural integrity was compromised with parts moving at 4 millimeters per hour.
A core drill was used to access people trapped under the rubble from above. The rescue teams employed drones and rescue dogs to survey the area and locate survivors.
The rescue operation involved around 250 personnel including firefighters, police, paramedics, special forces, technical relief workers and dog rescue teams.
Drones were utilized for overhead surveillance and a crane was set up to aid in stabilizing the structure and facilitating the removal of debris.
The hotel is named Reichsschenke Zum Ritter Götz and has parts of its structure dating back to the 17th century.
Renovations took place in the 1980s including the addition of the second floor, which was involved in the collapse.
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Construction work was being carried out until Tuesday, the day of the collapse, though it is unclear if this directly contributed to the incident.
One guest reported being in the bathroom when the floor collapsed beneath them.
A young Dutch family was among those rescued. The mother and her 2-year-old child were rescued first, followed by the father who was taken to the hospital.
A total of 14 people were present in the hotel at the time of the collapse. Five individuals managed to escape unharmed, as they were in parts of the building that remained intact.
Seven people were trapped under the debris and were rescued including a 2-year-old child and the child’s mother.
The father’s rescue is still pending. The last survivor was freed from the rubble late on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 to the applause of rescue workers.
The hotel’s collapse involved one story collapsing resulting in two ceilings lying on top of each other. The building’s remaining structure was described as being akin to a house of cards, necessitating utmost caution to prevent collapse during rescue efforts.
Approximately 250 emergency workers were deployed to the scene including drone specialists and teams equipped with rescue dogs.
Authorities utilized drills to bore into the collapsed structure allowing microphones to be inserted to communicate with those trapped.
Authorities evacuated 31 people from neighboring buildings, ensuring the safety of residents in the surrounding area.
The hotel was identified as “Reichsschenke Zum Ritter Götz” and was undergoing renovations at the time of the collapse.
While the exact cause of the collapse has not been determined, the renovation work is being scrutinized as a factor contributing to the structural failure.
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