Tragic hotel collapse in Kroev, Germany: two confirmed dead

A tragic incident occurred in the picturesque town of Kroev, located on the Mosel River in western Germany, when a hotel partially collapsed on Tuesday, resulting in two confirmed deaths. The collapse occurred when one of the floors of the building fell, trapping several guests, while five others managed to escape unharmed.

The rescue operation has been fraught with difficulties due to the precariousness of the structure, with two roofs that have collapsed on top of each other. Fourteen people were inside the hotel at the time of the incident. While five people were lucky to escape unscathed, others were not so lucky and found themselves trapped in the wreckage.

Rescue teams were able to make contact with some of the trapped individuals via cell phone, but reaching them was a significant challenge due to the collapsed roofs. Joerg Teusch, the fire and disaster protection inspector for the district of Bernkastel-Wittlich, compared the entire structure of the building to a house of cards, stressing the need for caution during the rescue operation.

Five people were successfully rescued Wednesday, including a 2-year-old boy who escaped unharmed and the boy's mother, who suffered minor injuries. The child's father was also later rescued.

The cause of the structural collapse is unknown. The original hotel building is believed to date from the 17th century, with additional stories added around 1980. Building work had been carried out on Tuesday, but it is not clear if this had anything to do with the col· lapse

Witnesses said they heard a loud bang and saw a large cloud of dust at the time of the collapse. The rescue operation involved 250 emergency workers, including drone specialists and rescue dogs.

Following the collapse, authorities evacuated 21 people from three buildings in the vicinity of the damaged hotel. The hotel's guests, predominantly German with the exception of one Dutch family, were caught up in the tragedy. The two confirmed fatalities were a German man and woman.

Kroev, a picturesque town near the larger tourist town of Traben-Trarbach, is home to around 2,200 inhabitants.