German Ice Rink Collapses, At Least 5 Dead, 20 Trapped

Discussion in 'World Events' started by Raven, Jan 3, 2006.

  1. Raven Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    302
    Battle to rescue German skaters

    There are fears that the roof could collapse further
    Rescue workers are battling to save up to 20 people trapped inside an ice rink in Germany after the building's roof collapsed under heavy snow.
    Up to 50 people were inside the rink in the southern town of Bad Reichenhall when the roof caved in on Monday.

    Five bodies have been recovered, one person died in hospital and another five are thought dead, police say.

    The rescue is being hampered by blizzards and fears about instability of the remaining roof structure.

    Some 300 firefighters, police and soldiers are at the scene, and a state of emergency has been declared in the area.

    'Immense weight'

    Firefighters put up a crane and have been trying to remove sections of the roof to reach survivors.

    Officials say it is vital that they are reached as quickly as possible.

    "The roof is pointing inwards and it can slide down at any time and the weight due to the wet snow is immense," police spokesman Fritz Braun told the BBC.



    "We first need heavy equipment to stabilise the interior. The collapsed roof needs to be lifted. Search dogs will then probably be sent inside."

    The chairman of a local ice hockey club told public television that a training session was cancelled after the local authorities warned the building was unsafe.

    "Ice skating for the public evidently still went on," Thomas Rumpeltes told ZDF television.

    An unnamed local official told Reuters news agency that the session could only have been cancelled so snow could be cleared from the roof but that measurements taken at midday showed that snow levels were within safety limits.

    'Catastrophic'

    Local schools are still on holiday and many children and families had gone skating.

    Parents near the ruined building called out the names of their missing children, reports the AP news agency.

    A helicopter shone a floodlight to help the rescue workers.

    A seven-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy were among the dead, police said.

    In addition to injuries sustained in the collapse, rescuers fear some could be suffering from hypothermia after being trapped in freezing conditions.

    The heavy snowfalls have led to huge traffic jams throughout the Berchtesgadener region, where a state of emergency has been declared, says AFP news agency.

    Tents have been erected where the injured can be cared for.

    A rescue team from the Red Cross in Salzburg, 10km over the border in Austria, was also involved in the rescue.

    Bavarian Governor Edmund Stoiber said he was "deeply shaken" by news of the accident.

    "Our hopes now rest with the rescue forces at the scene, who are doing everything they can," he said.
     
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  3. hug-a-tree Live the life Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, I heard about it. It's really terrible. I heard that the mines were caved in as well, and that 12 miners died and only one lived.
     
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