Overview
- A multi‑family building in central Görlitz collapsed after a violent gas explosion on May 18, killing three people who were later recovered from the rubble.
- Forensic teams only began detailed work on the debris on June 3, and police announced on Sunday that those examinations helped identify two suspects who have now been detained.
- Authorities say the suspects are a 27‑year‑old Polish national and a 33‑year‑old Afghan national who were already in custody on unrelated matters when they were linked to the case.
- Police and the public prosecutor opened investigations for causing an explosion with fatalities together with negligent homicide, and they say the men are suspected of searching for scrap metal and damaging or manipulating building pipes, which could have caused a gas leak and the blast.
- The scene remains partly inaccessible, investigators are seeking eyewitness tips with a €5,000 reward, and officials warn that theft of copper and other non‑ferrous metals can create serious public‑safety hazards and is likely to draw increased local enforcement and safety checks.