Memory in Kröv: Survivors of the hotel fall back at the site of horror

On January 11, 2025, a memorial event for the victims of the tragic hotel fall in Kröv took place, which cost two people on August 6, 2024. A total of seven people were saved in the accident, some of them were locked under the rubble for more than 20 hours.

Among the survivors, Edi Hoefnagel-Visser from the Netherlands, who was caught in the hotel with her two-year-old son and her husband during the collapse. Her husband suffered serious injuries and has been dependent on crutches since then. When she returned to Kröv, Hoefnagel-Visser had great difficulties and shot tears. There she also met her rescuer Christoph Reuter from the Trier professional fire brigade.

common memory and thanks to the rescue workers

The memorial event fell together with the New Year's reception of the municipality of Kröv, which could allow those affected and rescue workers to be released. Around 100 of the approximately 250 emergency services involved in the rescue operation were present. The local mayor Desire Betz paid tribute to the rescue workers for her tireless efforts and emphasized the importance of thanks to all helpers.

In the accident, a 64-year-old woman and the 59-year-old hotel operator died. A complete floor of the hotel had collapsed. An expert opinion on the more precise analysis of the cause of the accident is expected in March 2025. Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer expressed his thanks to the emergency services and awarded the head of operations Jörg Teusch the Golden Fire Brigade Corporation for his outstanding achievements.

Edi Hoefnagel-Visser, which was in the seventh month pregnant at the time of the accident, only recently started processing what was experienced. Her husband Mark is making progress in his recovery, but is expected to be two years to recover. Another survivor, Erika Sorm, was also present at the commemoration and reported that she was lying under a door in a cavity during the accident.

These memories and the common grief show the deep traces that the misfortune has left in the families concerned and illustrate the enormous challenge that it means to process such traumatic experiences as Tagesschau.de and sueddeutsche.de reported.