Overview
- Police confirmed late Thursday that rescue teams recovered three bodies from the Gründerzeithaus on James‑von‑Moltke‑Straße and declared the missing‑person search finished.
- Two victims have been identified as Romanian tourists aged 25 and 26 while a third male body is very likely the previously missing 48‑year‑old pending forensic confirmation.
- Hours after the building fell on Monday a gas leak was discovered and the mayor said the wreckage 'looks like' a gas explosion so investigators are examining that possibility alongside other leads.
- Firefighters, Technisches Hilfswerk teams, police and search dogs worked with cranes, excavators, cameras and manual digging during the critical 24–72 hour rescue window that shaped the three‑day effort.
- Nearby houses were evacuated, gas lines were drained and Stadtwerke are carrying out staged gas restoration as Kriminalpolizei preserve the scene for forensic work and provide support to relatives.