- Sadness and confidence after hotel collapse in Kröv
The grief is palpable. In prayer, in song, and in conversation, tears flow repeatedly among the people of the Mosel village of Kröv. Following the hotel collapse with two fatalities, they have come together with many emergency services to a service of remembrance for the victims and their families. They gather in a church garden, then exchange their thoughts. "It's about finding words for the many different emotions that are present," said police chaplain Hubertus Kesselheim.
Prayers were also said for a Dutch father who was injured in the disaster and is being treated in a Trier hospital's intensive care unit. "Give him the strength to survive and the strength to return to his family," Kesselheim said in a prayer. On Sunday morning, the man was still in an artificial coma, police said. "We trust that he will fully recover. The doctors are good," his father Auke Hoefnagel said in a speech at the end of the service.
The 26-year-old Dutchman was one of seven injured who were rescued from the rubble. His wife and her two-year-old son were also rescued hours later with only minor injuries. The father of the Dutch woman, Meindert Visser, thanked the rescue services: "You are heroes! You worked so well," he said.
A entire floor of the hotel collapsed late on Tuesday evening, killing two people: a 64-year-old woman and the 59-year-old hotel owner. His body was recovered from the rubble on Saturday morning, after large parts of the hotel had to be demolished to ensure the safety of the helpers.
Kröv mourns
"Of course, the grief in the town is very great," said Mayor Desire Beth (CDU). The affected hotel and catering family is well-liked, making the service "very important for coping with the grief." Kröv, idyllically situated in the Mosel wine region, is a village with 2,300 inhabitants: "Everyone knows everyone here. In such a place, people celebrate together, but also stand together in a crisis," she said. She expressed pride in how the community had come together.
Demolition work continued after the recovery of the second body on Saturday and Sunday. A police spokesman said that rubble and debris were being removed, and the duration of the work was still uncertain. The expert will determine how deep the structure needs to be to complete his report. One thing is certain: "The roof is completely gone."
Cause of the disaster unknown
The cause of the collapse is still unknown, and the public prosecutor's office is investigating. An expert has been commissioned to determine the cause of the disaster. The aim is for the expert to be able to move on to the next phase of investigating the cause of the collapse by Monday, a police spokeswoman said on Saturday.
According to the fire and disaster protection inspector of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district, Jörg Teusch, the basic substance of the collapsed hotel dates back to the 17th century. The old structure had wooden ceilings. When two and a half storeys were added in 1980, a concrete ceiling was installed. Now, investigations must show "whether anything in the underlying structure of the old building substance has failed."
The question of why the hotel collapsed is also on the minds of the rescuers, said Teusch. The expert will have to evaluate many data, so it may take weeks or even months to determine a cause, if one is found at all. The collapse also presented the rescue teams with unique challenges. The service was also important for the rescuers to return to normality, he said.
There is great sympathy
Mayor Beth reported that the town is experiencing a great outpouring of sympathy - even beyond its 2,300 inhabitants. Many people offered help via email or WhatsApp on the night of the disaster. "We receive encouraging messages through various messaging services," she said. The town is very grateful for "the miracle" that five people were able to escape immediately and then seven more were rescued in a 24-hour operation.
Meindert Visser reported that his daughter called him shortly after the collapse. "Dad, the hotel has collapsed. I don't know what's happening. It's dark. Pray! Come!", she said. They rushed to the scene, where there were already many rescue workers. His daughter (23) was trapped in a space just 70 centimeters high and one meter wide under a door. The rescue workers were so professional. "We are very, very grateful."
The grief in Kröv extends beyond its inhabitants, as sympathies poured in from numerous individuals and communities following the hotel collapse. The hospitality industry, being a major contributor to Kröv's identity, also expressed their support during this challenging time.
The affected catering family, highly esteemed in the hospitality industry, received countless messages of encouragement and support from fellow industry professionals worldwide, acknowledging their significant role in the community.
