Search for missing trio resumes under collapsed building in Germany

Rescue crews resumed searching for missing people in the rubble of a collapsed residential building in eastern Germany on Wednesday after gas pipes around the site were emptied to reduce the risk of explosion, police said.

The operation in the city of Görlitz were paused for around three hours overnight while gas was fully cleared from pipes surrounding the collapsed structure, a police spokeswoman told dpa.

The spokeswoman said the danger of an explosion had been reduced, making work at the site safer for emergency crews.

Rescuers were also now able to gain better access to the disaster area from the street side, the spokeswoman said. However, pockets of gas could still remain trapped beneath the rubble.

Before the search for the missing could resume, a side wall of a neighbouring building had to be stabilized to protect rescue workers. Authorities said it was unclear how long that would take.

Gas supplies around the site had already been shut off as a precaution after the collapse, local utilities said, to ensure the safety of residents and emergency personnel.

The building collapsed on Monday evening. Three people — two women and one man — remain missing, with no signs of life detected so far.

A fire brigade spokeswoman said it could not be ruled out that pedestrians had also been on the pavement outside the building at the time of the collapse.

The cause of the incident remains unclear.