At least one woman has died and several other people have been injured when a building collapsed in Hemer, western Germany, in what is believed to be a gas explosion.
“Based on the current state of the investigation, we assume that there are no more people under the rubble,” said fire brigade spokesman Andreas Schulte.
This Saturday morning the emergency services found the body of a lifeless woman under the rubble of the residential building, which has been completely destroyed.
At dawn, a man and a woman were rescued in a very serious condition. Both are torn between life and death and were taken to hospital, Schulte explained. “At the moment, we are happy to have been able to save two people,” the spokesman said.
The place of the accident has already been left in the hands of the criminal investigation department of the Police to clarify what happened. “We continue to provide support with our staff,” Schulte said.
On Friday night, two other wounded, one seriously and the other slightly, had already been rescued. Everything indicates that three of the eight residents were not at home at the time of the collapse.
There are more than 300 firefighters, police and Red Cross personnel on site. “They have given their all so far and deserve our highest recognition,” Hemer Mayor Christian Schweitzer said on his Facebook page.
The apartment building was completely destroyed in Friday’s explosion. Police and Firefighters assume it was a gas explosion, but the investigation is ongoing. Hemer is located in the Sauerland region in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: Europa Press
