Overview
- A multiunit Gründerzeithaus near Görlitz station collapsed earlier this week and after a three‑day search rescue teams recovered three bodies, ending the missing‑persons operation on Thursday.
- Two victims were confirmed as Romanian tourists aged 25 and 26 and the third is very likely the previously missing 48‑year‑old man pending forensic identification at the institute of legal medicine.
- Police found a gas leak hours after the collapse and the city mayor said it looks like a gas explosion, but the Kriminalpolizei is investigating all possibilities and has not confirmed a cause.
- On‑site forensic work has been slow and sometimes halted because unstable debris forces investigators to remove rubble layer by layer to preserve evidence and protect crews.
- Stadtwerke and emergency planners have evacuated nearby homes, shut the main gas line and begun limited reconnections via a parallel feed while access, traffic limits and a formal press briefing remain in place.