GERMANY: At least five people were killed last night and dozens injured after the roof of an ice rink in southern Germany collapsed yesterday following heavy snowfalls.
Rescuers in the town of Bad Reichenhall, in the Bavarian Alps, were yesterday battling with difficult conditions to pull survivors - including many children - from the wreckage. Police said about 50 people had been inside the building when the roof suddenly gave way.
The accident happened at about 4pm, just as the rink was closing. Last night police confirmed that at least four people - including a child - had been killed. The victims included a young woman, a young man, and a child aged seven or eight.
At least one seriously injured child had been pulled out of the rubble, a Red Cross spokesman, Gerhard Huber, said. "According to our information, 50 people were in the hall," police spokesman Fritz Baun said.
Some 20 injured people had been rescued, most with minor injuries. Another 10 people were still believed trapped beneath the rubble. Heavy snow was continuing to blanket the area, impeding the rescue operation, police officials said.
In comments to N-TV television, Mr Baun said firefighters were at the scene and trying to shore up the remains of the roof to gain access to the survivors. Heavy snowfall was making access to the rink difficult, with rescuers calling in a crane to lift the collapsed roof. The rescue operation was expected to go on all night, he said.
The disaster came after 30cm of snow fell yesterday in a matter of hours in the mountain region, close to the border with Austria and the city of Salzburg.
The roof collapse was the second major incident to hit the area yesterday. Ten walkers in nearby Unterjettenberg, close to Berchtesgaden, were engulfed in an avalanche earlier in the afternoon. Seven managed to dig themselves out. Rescuers later found one body, but two people were last night still unaccounted for.
A rescue helicopter was unable to take off because of treacherous conditions. According to local reports, there had been warnings of problems with the roof of the ice rink earlier in the day. Training for school groups was cancelled, but the rink had remained open for public use.
The head of the town's ice hockey club last night confirmed that his team's training session had been called off at the last minute because of the danger posed by snow on the building's flat roof.
Thomas Rumpeltes said he had received a telephone call at 3.30pm telling him the session was cancelled. "Apparently public ice-skating carried on," he told the Associated Press.
Bavarian premier Edmund Stoiber said yesterday he was deeply shocked. German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered the federal government's assistance.
According to local radio, there had been repeated calls for the building to be either renovated or torn down, but a decision to approve the work was never made. Germany's strict regulations normally ensure that public buildings can cope with sudden blizzards.
