10 Germans killed as ice rink roof collapses

A rescue worker of the German Red Cross stands with his sniffer dog in front of the collapsed roof of an ice rink in Bad Reichenhall, southern Germany Monday. Police said that at least ten people, many of them children, died as the roof collapsed under heavy snow. PHOTO: AFP

In the hours after the collapse, parents called out their children's names, and rescue workers swarmed around the building in the town of Bad Reichenhall. Doctors set up a makeshift infirmary at a sports hall next door, where injured people lay with intravenous hookups, and fire crews worked to shovel away debris.

A helicopter kept a floodlight on the scene as rescue workers scrambled into the early hours Tuesday to find victims and prop up what remained of the roof. With the structure stabilized, rescuers with dogs went into the building a little before midnight.

Six victims were recovered from the building, and another four had been located inside and were believed dead, said Christoph Abriss, a spokesman for the local council. He added that "there are still people missing," but it was unclear how many.

At least four children were among the victims of the collapse, which occurred at 4 p.m. on a school holiday Monday with about 50 people inside. Recovery efforts were initially hampered by heavy snow, and help was called in from neighbouring Austria.

Police said 18 people were hurt while 16 people escaped without injury. Some 360 rescue workers were at the scene.

Early Tuesday, police spokesman Franz Sommerauer said rescue crews had gained access to around half the hall, but still had not reached the people trapped. They were trying to remove the largest chunks of debris with the help of six cranes.

Officials clung to hope that more survivors would be found after a 6-year-old girl was rescued late Monday with no major injuries more than five hours after the collapse.