Overview
- In Albstadt’s Tailfingen district, an early-morning explosion leveled a home on Josefstraße, and rescuers later recovered a family aged 33, 30 and 6 dead.
- Roughly 150–200 responders with search dogs conducted a hours-long operation as nearby homes were damaged and evacuated, the street’s gas supply was cut, and most residents were allowed to return by evening with one household rehoused.
- Officials describe the Albstadt incident as a likely gas explosion pending forensic results, and police currently rule out an attack.
- In Cologne’s Löwenbräu Hotel, a third-floor room explosion caused a fire that destroyed the floor, injuring three people, including a guest with life-threatening injuries and a firefighter with minor injuries.
- Cologne police and prosecutors say early findings indicate the critically injured man may have set the fire himself, and they report no evidence of additional perpetrators.