accidents
Graduation party ends fatally – 17-year-old falls into the depths
A 17-year-old fell through a plastic skylight during a graduation party at night and was fatally injured. photo
© Christophe Gateau/dpa
A boisterous party was planned for hundreds of students from a high school in Berlin-Pankow after graduation. The celebration started in the rooms of a large hotel in Neukölln – and ended tragically.
Abitur parties stand for the final end of school, the anticipation of 17 and 18-year-olds for a long summer and the start of a new life. In Berlin, a celebration ended on Monday night with the deadly Accident of a high school graduate. The school and politicians reacted to the death of the young people with shock and grief. During the party in the outbuilding of a large hotel in Berlin-Neukölln, the 17-year-old fell eight meters through a roof and died.
The affected Rosa-Luxemburg-Gymnasium, a well-known school in the north of Berlin, spoke of “endless sadness” on Monday. The website said: “Days of joy ended abruptly. (…) No answer. Pain that goes deep and will not go away. Our thoughts are with the young woman’s family and with all the graduates.”
In a letter to the parents, which was available to the German Press Agency, the school management gave families the freedom to leave the children and young people at home for the next few days. The range of courses will be maintained. All announced events such as the sports festivals would also take place, it said. At the same time, the school management asked for understanding “that the focus of relationship work is currently on looking after the more than 150 graduates and their families”.
Exact circumstances have yet to be clarified
According to the Senate Education Administration, there is psychological support for the students. The school’s crisis team is active and there are internal offers for talks, a spokesman said. Berlin Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) was “deeply dismayed” by the accident. “My condolences go to the family, relatives and the school community. The exact circumstances must now be clarified.”
The emergency call to the fire department for two seriously injured people at the Hotel Estrel on Sonnenallee was received at 1:28 a.m., a spokesman said. Since the evening, hundreds of high school graduates, friends and relatives have been celebrating in rather unadorned event halls near the actual hotel building. According to initial police findings, the 17-year-old from the Rosa-Luxemburg-Gymnasium in Berlin-Pankow and a 17-year-old fellow high school graduate climbed a ladder onto a flat roof next to the party room where their classmates were celebrating.
Then they fell simultaneously eight meters through the roof. The police spoke of a larger plastic light dome through which the two young people broke. The hotel said they “sat on a plastic canopy on the roof. The hatch collapsed under the weight of the two.”
The second youth was lucky and probably fell on some containers, which slowed his fall so he was less injured. It may have been garbage cans, police said. The 17-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries when she hit the ground.
Many helpers on site
Many helpers immediately rushed to help, including adults from the school and hotel staff, according to the fire department. They began resuscitation efforts. According to a report by “Bild”, the slightly injured companion is also said to have helped. Shortly thereafter, the fire brigade arrived at the scene of the accident with four ambulances and two paramedics. An emergency doctor continued the resuscitation measures. Paramedics drove both teenagers to hospitals. The girl died from her injuries.
Five other people, teenagers and adults, were in such shock that they needed care. After all, the emergency pastoral care took care of her. The young people were picked up by their parents or had formed carpools, according to the school management.
A police spokeswoman said the exact cause of the fall has not yet been clarified. According to the school management, a large part of the revelers was just about to leave when the accident happened. The accident area was actually not accessible to guests, according to the hotel. According to the police, there is no evidence of third-party negligence. Out of consideration for the dead girl’s family, there should be no detailed information about the people involved and how the accident happened.
Dismay also prevailed in the hotel: “An Abi-Ball serves as a source of joy and is a special celebration at the end of school. The fact that such an event is overshadowed by this tragic incident makes the staff and management of the Estrel Berlin very sad.”
In addition to a few hundred rooms, the hotel also has large event halls where concerts and shows take place, where doubles of well-known world stars perform. On Monday morning, only a display with an emblem of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Gymnasium, the note “Abi RLG 2023” and an arrow pointing to the entrance of the party reminded of the event on the site.