1 dead, 8 injured in hotel collapse in Germany

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - At least one person was killed and eight others injured as part of a hotel in the southwestern German town of Krov collapsed, police said Wednesday.

One story of the building collapsed at around 11 p.m. local time on Tuesday, police said in a statement, adding that 14 people were in the hotel at the time, five of whom were able to escape unhurt. Thirty-one residents from the immediate neighborhood had to be evacuated.

Eight others are still believed to trapped in the building, among them a child and rescue workers are in contact with some of them, according to the police.

“Due to the damage, this is an extremely demanding operation, as the building can only be entered by the emergency services with great caution,” police said.

Around 250 rescue workers are on site, including special forces and a rescue dog team. The scene of the accident is also being examined using drones.

It was initially unclear what caused the collapse.