Germany Partial hotel collapse: One dead - eight people trapped

One person has been found dead following the partial collapse of a hotel in the Moselle town of Kröv in Rhineland-Palatinate. Eight other people are still trapped in the building, some of them seriously injured, the police in Trier announced this morning. The emergency services are in contact with some of those trapped. The dead man has not yet been rescued.

According to the police, one floor of the building in the municipality of Traben-Trarbach collapsed at around 11 p.m. 14 people were in the building at the time, five of whom were able to escape unharmed. 31 residents from the immediate neighborhood had to be evacuated.

Police: "Extremely demanding operation"

Pictures taken at the scene of the accident during the night show that parts of the multi-storey half-timbered building have collapsed. Concrete rubble lies on the floor. "Due to the extent of the damage, this is an extremely demanding operation, as the building can only be entered by the emergency services with the utmost caution," a police statement said.

Around 250 helpers, including from the fire department and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), are on site - including special forces and a rescue dog squadron. Drones are also being used to investigate the scene of the accident.

It was initially unclear how parts of the building collapsed. According to the police, local residents called the emergency services late on Tuesday evening.