German ice rink disaster death toll rises to 15
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-05 10:21

German rescue services pulled a 15th and presumed last body early on Thursday from the wreckage of a collapsed ice rink as the country asked how it could avoid a repeat of the tragedy.

Chief fire officer Rudi Zeif identified the victim as a 40-year-old woman. "All those missing have now been recovered," Zeif said.

The roof of the more than 30-year-old ice rink collapsed on Monday amid heavy snow. Some 50 people, mostly children enjoying the last days of their Christmas holidays, were inside at the time of the incident. Eighteen survivors required hospital treatment.

Heavy equipment is used to remove the rubble from the collapsed ice skating rink in Bad Reichenhall, southern Germany January 4, 2006.[Reuters]

All the dead and injured came from the area around Bad Reichenhall, a Bavarian town close to the Austrian border.

Construction Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said he would ask all 16 German states to discuss what steps should be taken to secure existing public buildings, some of which are decades old.

"This tragic event has once again shown to us all the importance of sufficient building security," said Tiefensee.

Questions about the causes of the accident swirled amid fears similar disasters could happen elsewhere in the harsh winter weather conditions. Other buildings in the area with flat roofs were closed as a precaution.

Bild, Germany's biggest newspaper, carried the headline: "The children could still be alive!" after suggestions that officials should have known the building was unsafe.

An ice hockey club training session scheduled for late Monday was cancelled just minutes before the disaster, apparently due to concerns about the snow on the roof.

But the mayor of Bad Reichenhall, Wolfgang Heitmaier, denied that the structure built between 1971 and 1972 was a known risk.

"The roof was not in urgent need of repair, no one has said that, experts have supported this," he said.

Germany's association of engineering consultants expressed doubt cash-strapped local authorities would be prepared to foot the bill of bringing older buildings up to modern standards.

"The examination of buildings more than 30-years-old is a demanding task which must be carried out by trained specialists," the association said in a statement.

"Such studies cost money, that property owners in Germany aren't keen to shoulder voluntarily," it added.