Ruins of collapsed German hotel demolished to recover body

Demolition work at the site of a collapsed hotel in western Germany has begun in an effort to recover a second body, believed to be that of the hotel owner, police said on Friday, reported dpa.

It is still unclear where the man's body is, a police spokeswoman said.

An entire floor of the hotel collapsed late on Tuesday evening, killing two people. Seven others were injured and were rescued after spending several hours trapped in the rubble. A woman's body has already been recovered.

An excavator with an extra-long arm started at the gable end of the building in the town of Kröv, on the Moselle river. Heavy equipment from a specialized company will then work its way forward piece by piece.

The demolition is necessary because the rescue workers would otherwise not be able to recover the man's remains safely, the police spokeswoman said. An expert who visited the site on Wednesday evening recommended the demolition.

The scene of the accident was cordoned off within a radius of 150 metres for the demolition work.