Additional Coverage:
- Rescuers search for 3 missing after German building collapse possibly caused by gas explosion (apnews.com)
Rescue Efforts Underway After Building Collapse in Görlitz, Germany
GÖRLITZ, Germany – Emergency teams continued their search early Tuesday for three individuals missing after a building collapsed Monday night in the eastern German city of Görlitz, near the Polish border.
Authorities suspect a gas explosion triggered the collapse, prompting responders to exercise extreme caution amid concerns of potential gas leaks, according to reports from the German news agency dpa.
Search dogs initially aided the rescue operation, but after failing to locate anyone beneath the rubble, crews began carefully removing debris by hand and with an excavator shortly after 2 a.m.
Earlier reports suggesting that as many as five people might have been trapped were later corrected by police, who confirmed only three remain unaccounted for.
One man, who feared his wife and cousin were among those missing, shared that they had arrived that same day to spend a vacation in one of the building’s rental apartments. He was at a nearby supermarket when he heard the explosion and returned to find the structure reduced to rubble.
The collapsed building, noted for its historic Wilhelminian architectural style, housed both rental and vacation apartments. Görlitz, Germany’s easternmost city with a population of around 57,000, is renowned for its well-preserved old town, a favored backdrop for international film productions.