Görlitz Building Collapse: Search for Missing Continues; Ebola Patient Arrives in Berlin

More than 36 hours after a house collapsed in the center of the eastern German city of Görlitz, emergency services are still searching for three missing people — but hope is dwindling.

"We are certain that we will find the missing people — but in what state I cannot say," said local fire brigade chief Anja Weigel. "We're now into day two of the operation, which has been going on since 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The chances are obviously sinking but, if we're lucky, someone might be trapped in a cavity in the rubble. Maybe there'll be a miracle."

The 19th-century building collapsed on Monday evening for reasons that are still unclear, although police suspect a potential gas explosion. Gas, water and electricity in neighboring houses have also been turned off as a precaution while the search continues.

According to local media, the three missing people include two female Romanian tourists aged 25 and 26, and a 48-year-old man with both German and Bulgarian citizenship who had been in Görlitz for work. There is still no sign of any of them.

"Pedestrians could have been buried on the pavement in front of the building," cautioned fire brigade chief Weigel. "We have to assume the worst and that we may even only find body parts."

#DailyDrone: Lower Market Görlitz

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A US doctor infected with the Ebola virus in Congo was admitted to Berlin's Charité hospital in the early hours of Wednesday.

The German Health Ministry acquiesced to a request from the United States for the patient to be treated in Germany rather than the United States due to the shorter travel time from Uganda and the Charité's experience in dealing with Ebola.

The patient was flown to Berlin on a special medical aircraft and was then driven to the hospital in a specially designed vehicle escorted by police.

Six people with whom the infected man had contact have also been flown to Germany.

The German Health Ministry has reassured the public that there is no danger of the deadly virus spreading to the general population.

The Charité hospital specializes in the treatment of such cases and the patient is being housed in a completely isolated ward, separate from the rest of the clinic.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected people or their bodily fluids and generally begins with symptoms comparable to flu or diarrhea before worsening. The ultimate cause of death is usually multiple organ failure.

According to the German Health Ministry, however, the mortality rate following modern treatment and specialist monitoring at a clinic like Berlin's Charité drops from around 60% to 20%-30%.

What makes this Ebola outbreak different from others?

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