Status: 07/09/2022 08:43 a.m
After the explosion in a residential building in Hemer in the Märkisches Kreis, the search for missing people continues. Two critically injured were freed overnight. Two people are believed to be under the rubble.
The rescue measures are very difficult. All that remains of the former house is a large heap of rubble. The rescue workers search for survivors with the help of cranes, excavators and heavy equipment. Two people with life-threatening injuries – a woman and a man – were freed from the rubble around three o’clock in the night. They came to the hospital.
Seriously injured stood on the rubble
A seriously injured man had already been found on the rubble in the evening. Apparently he was able to free himself. In addition, the relief workers on site were able to treat three slightly injured people.
The emergency services assume that at least two other people are trapped under the rubble. The helpers had contact with a buried person during the night, but the contact has now been broken off. Search dogs struck another spot, where the rescuers suspect a second buried person. It is not yet known if there are other people under the rubble.
There will be a press conference in Hemer at 11 a.m.
Large pieces of debris block the way
Surrounding houses are evacuated.
Image: WDR/Isabell Zillmer
“Our challenge is to remove debris from above. This is very difficult because there is large debris and access is difficult,” says a spokesman for the fire brigade in an interview with WDR. The THW is on site to clear debris with heavy equipment. Rescue dogs and a drone are also deployed.
Big effort for the police
Fire brigades from the area, the police and the Technical Relief Agency are on duty to rescue people who have been buried. Several fire brigades from surrounding districts are there to provide support. The surrounding buildings have been evacuated and some are damaged. The main street in Hemer is closed because of the operation.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear – according to a police spokeswoman, it is probably a gas explosion.
Source: wdr.de