Huge explosion in apartment building – body recovered

One day after the massive explosion in a Regensburg apartment building, emergency services recovered a body. A police spokesman confirmed that a dead man was found in the rubble. Several media outlets had previously reported. Investigators believe there is a second person in the rubble. The search for her continues.

It is still unclear who exactly the dead person is. The identity would probably have to be clarified through an autopsy, the spokesman said.

After the technical relief agency had completed the security measures against a collapse in the morning, the emergency services were able to enter the house. The emergency services found the body at midday while clearing away rubble with an excavator inside the building.

Investigations into the cause of the fire and explosion were also initiated. Both are still unclear. But a gas explosion is suspected.

The explosion in the early hours of Wednesday morning destroyed a large part of the apartment building. Four people were taken to hospital, one of them with serious injuries. A police officer also suffered smoke inhalation. It is not yet clear whether it was an accident or whether the explosion was caused intentionally.

The riot police, together with specialists from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, secured traces that now have to be evaluated. The authorities have not yet provided any information about the extent of the damage. But it is likely to be high. The part of the building directly affected must “definitely be completely demolished,” said a police spokesman.

Some residents of the building complex were able to briefly go into their apartments on Wednesday to get the essentials for the night. The residential building where the explosion occurred is part of a four-story terraced building that has been completely closed. Most of the residents were “accommodating with friends, hotels or the like,” said a police spokesman.