- After the hotel collapse, the question arises as to why
After the shock comes disbelief in Kröv. About how a hotel in the middle of town could collapse. "After the tragedy, the question naturally arises: How could this happen?" said Mayor Desire Beth (CDU) on Thursday. In the late Tuesday evening disaster, nine people were buried: one man and one woman died, seven people were injured. On Wednesday evening, a woman was rescued as the last living victim from the rubble.
On Thursday, the investigation into the cause began: An expert made an on-site assessment of the situation. He examined the area around the building that had collapsed in on itself - and where one floor had completely caved in. He also entered part of the hotel.
Then came the news: The building is still highly unstable. Before the last body can be recovered from the rubble, demolition will begin on Friday, a police spokeswoman said. A specialized company will bring in special equipment for the task. During the work, a 150-meter radius around the hotel will be cordoned off - also due to the possible presence of asbestos.
The rescued injured, who had to endure for hours under the rubble, are physically doing relatively well, police spokeswoman Romy Berger said. There are fractures and scrapes. The greater problem will likely be the psychological strain. Among the injured is a small family from the Dutch town of Urk at the IJsselmeer - with a two-year-old child.
What the buried people had to endure in the long hours until their rescue can only be imagined from the outside view of the house. The last rescued survivor spent almost 24 hours under the rubble - reportedly in a forward-bent position with concrete slabs on her back. She received drinks and food in a pureed form and probably also a pillow to rest her head from the rescuers.
At the end of the rescue operation, she was carried out of the building to loud applause from the helpers. "She is remarkably stable and wanted to leave on her own," said Joerg Teusch, the fire and disaster protection inspector of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district, in the evening. "We prevented that and carried her out."
One body is still in the hotel. Police assume it is the hotel owner. To retrieve him as safely as possible, concrete parts will have to be removed. The body is located in the most unstable area, they said.
"It will likely be the case that we will initially demolish the gable side because that has the greatest risk of collapse," explained the police spokeswoman. "And then we will proceed step by step." The police expect it to take one to two days before the recovery can begin. The hotel owner's wife managed to escape in time.
There were no statements about the possible causes of the collapse with two deaths. On site, reference was made to the investigation by the Trier public prosecutor's office.
People in Kröv are shocked and disbelieving after the disaster. The first deputy mayor of the municipality of Kröv, Martin Rolf, said the people of Kröv could not yet grasp what had happened. "It's so terrible," said an inhabitant of the Moselle town with around 2300 inhabitants. A street festival planned for the weekend near the disaster site was cancelled.
Historic Hotel with Inn, tracing back to the 17th century, holds significant importance for the town. A section of the hotel complex - the main house being a cultural monument - had to be inspected by experts, Rolf reported. "There was a crack. It was inspected. It was under observation." Whether there's a connection to the collapse, he couldn't say.
Hotel under observation and up for sale
The hotel with inn was up for sale for approximately 600,000 euros. A friend of the family told of the hotel owners' intention to warn vacation guests due to the increasing creaking noises in the house.
The Trier Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated a death investigation. Lead Trier Senior Public Prosecutor Peter Fritzen confirmed that a crack had been noticed before the building's collapse, and experts were involved, with construction measures taken. Details are yet to be clarified.
The house remains at risk of collapse, the police spokeswoman said. There still appears to be movement in the building: "It has been creaking and cracking again tonight," said a local resident.
- Despite the ongoing investigation, questions about the other potential risks or issues with the hotel before the collapse continue to surface among the locals.
- Other nearby buildings in the area are being closely monitored due to concerns about their structural integrity, given the incident at the historic hotel.
