Overview
- A multi‑storey Gründerzeithaus on James‑von‑Moltke‑Straße in central Görlitz collapsed on Monday evening; the building held rental and holiday apartments and was owned by the city subsidiary KommWohnen.
- Rescue teams from the Feuerwehr, Technisches Hilfswerk and police have worked round‑the‑clock in shifts using search dogs, sondes, cranes and hand removal to reach buried areas under difficult, dusty conditions.
- On Wednesday night rescuers found the body of a 25‑year‑old Romanian woman in the rubble and a doctor pronounced death; two people remain missing — a 26‑year‑old Romanian woman and a 48‑year‑old man with Bulgarian and German citizenship.
- Authorities reported a gas leak hours after the collapse and investigators suspect a gas explosion; gas lines around the site were emptied for safety and the Kriminalpolizei has been securing traces and evidence.
- Families have been supported by seelsorge teams and nearby homes were evacuated, and the probe into cause and any municipal responsibility could prompt reviews of building safety and utility checks in the area.