Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of all three individuals who had been missing since a residential building collapsed on Monday in the eastern German city of Görlitz. A third body was discovered in the debris on Thursday afternoon, which police said belonged "with very high probability" to a 48-year-old man who had still been unaccounted for.
The Görlitz police directorate confirmed the discovery on Thursday evening. According to authorities, search operations were suspended in the late afternoon after emergency crews located a human body buried beneath the rubble. A paramedic on site was only able to confirm the person's death. Police stated that the deceased was believed to be a 48-year-old man holding German-Bulgarian citizenship, though a definitive identification had not yet been completed.
The first victim was found on Wednesday evening at approximately 10:30 PM. A paramedic confirmed the death of the 25-year-old woman, who had been missing since the collapse on Monday. Her body was subsequently recovered from the site.
Following her recovery, search efforts for the remaining two missing persons resumed. A search dog was once again deployed as part of the operation. On Thursday afternoon, the second missing woman was located in the wreckage. Together with the third body found later that day, all three missing individuals have now been accounted for.
The multi-family residential building in central Görlitz collapsed on Monday, reportedly as a result of a gas explosion. Police confirmed that investigations into the exact cause of the incident are still ongoing. The criminal investigation department is looking "in all directions," according to authorities.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, up to ten neighbouring buildings were evacuated. By Tuesday, residents of some of those buildings were allowed to return to their homes. On Wednesday, those still affected by evacuation orders were escorted by emergency personnel into their apartments briefly to collect personal belongings, police said.
Meanwhile, the city's utility provider had begun reconnecting the first of the surrounding buildings to the gas network. Structural reinforcement work on the side wall of an adjacent building was also still underway, according to city officials.
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