Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof collapse
Encyclopedia
At approximately 15:00 UTC on Monday 2 January 2006, in the town of Bad Reichenhall
, Bavaria
, Germany, near the Austrian border, the roof of a 1970s-built ice rink
collapsed, possibly under the weight of heavy snowfall, trapping 50 people underneath the rubble.
Fifteen people were killed, with the last body being recovered early on 5 January. Eight children are known to have died. Thirty-two people were injured. Weather conditions in the area were extremely severe, an avalanche
having killed two people nearby earlier in the day.
The rescue was temporarily halted on 3 January due to fears that the walls of the ice rink could collapse, endangering firefighters, police and rescue workers. However it resumed in the early hours of the next morning.
The accident has provoked outrage in the town as it emerged that officials had halted the training session of an ice hockey team inside the rink due to fears that the wall could collapse. Prior to the disaster, officials had planned to close the ice rink on Monday 2 January as snowfall was continuing. However, as many meteorologists pointed out, the weather and snow conditions were not unusual for the time of the year as the town lies in a popular winter sport area of Southern Germany.
Local officials examined the collapsed roof on Monday and suggested that the accumulated snow was below the limit for the roof.
Bad Reichenhall
Bad Reichenhall is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgauer Alps ....
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany, near the Austrian border, the roof of a 1970s-built ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
collapsed, possibly under the weight of heavy snowfall, trapping 50 people underneath the rubble.
Fifteen people were killed, with the last body being recovered early on 5 January. Eight children are known to have died. Thirty-two people were injured. Weather conditions in the area were extremely severe, an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
having killed two people nearby earlier in the day.
The rescue was temporarily halted on 3 January due to fears that the walls of the ice rink could collapse, endangering firefighters, police and rescue workers. However it resumed in the early hours of the next morning.
The accident has provoked outrage in the town as it emerged that officials had halted the training session of an ice hockey team inside the rink due to fears that the wall could collapse. Prior to the disaster, officials had planned to close the ice rink on Monday 2 January as snowfall was continuing. However, as many meteorologists pointed out, the weather and snow conditions were not unusual for the time of the year as the town lies in a popular winter sport area of Southern Germany.
Local officials examined the collapsed roof on Monday and suggested that the accumulated snow was below the limit for the roof.
See also
- Katowice Trade Hall roof collapseKatowice Trade Hall roof collapseOn 28 January 2006, the roof of one of the buildings at Katowice International Fair collapsed in Chorzów / Katowice, Poland....
– a similar accident on 28 January 2006, in KatowiceKatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.