A loud, explosion-like bang shattered the usual calm of Monday evening in central Görlitz at around 5:30 p.m. Within seconds, the Gründerzeit-era building at James-von-Moltke-Straße 21 collapsed completely, leaving behind only rubble, dust, and scenes of panic.
The force of the blast was so strong that it was felt across a wide area; residents reported the ground shaking and windows rattling in surrounding streets.
Witnesses describe the moment as sudden and terrifying. One resident said it felt “like a bomb had gone off.” Another man instinctively dove under a table and immediately called emergency services. From his balcony,
he reportedly heard screams and immediately suspected a gas explosion. This assumption quickly spread among residents and first responders, although nothing had been officially confirmed at that stage.
The exact cause of the collapse remains unclear, but a gas explosion is currently considered the most likely explanation. Police later confirmed that this line of investigation is being pursued, while stressing that it has not yet been verified.
What is certain is that the building has been completely destroyed. The structure, operated by the municipal housing company Kommwohnen, contained several holiday apartments and one additional residential unit—all of which have been reduced to debris.
Initially, five people were reported missing. Two of them were later reached by phone and confirmed to be safe, as they had not yet arrived at the building. This left three individuals still unaccounted for:
two Romanian women aged 25 and 26, and a 48-year-old man with Bulgarian and German nationality.
One particularly heartbreaking story involves a relative of one of the missing. Cosmin Ciobanu had briefly left the apartment just before the explosion to buy headache tablets for his fiancée. When he returned only minutes later,
he was confronted with a scene of devastation. The building where his partner was staying had been reduced to rubble. “I haven’t slept all night, I can’t eat,” he later said. The couple had planned to marry in the summer of 2026.
A large-scale emergency response was immediately launched. Around 130 personnel from fire services, police, rescue teams, disaster relief units, and the Technical Relief Agency are working at the scene. Reinforcements have been sent from several German federal states.
Thermal imaging cameras and search dogs are being used to comb through the debris; the dogs have indicated possible signs of life at multiple points, creating cautious hope but also intense urgency.
However, rescue efforts are severely complicated by ongoing gas leakage in the rubble. Because of the risk of further explosions, heavy machinery cannot be used. Instead, rescuers are painstakingly
working through the debris by hand—using shovels, tools, and sometimes even bare hands—removing stone by stone in a slow and dangerous effort to reach possible survivors.
At the same time, teams are working to shut off the gas supply. Sections of Dr.-Kahlbaum-Allee have been excavated to access and isolate the pipelines. Utility officials say the goal is to completely stop the gas flow by Tuesday evening or during the night.
However, the building’s direct gas connection remains buried under the rubble, and any attempt to uncover it could destabilize what remains of the structure.
Around 45 nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution. Many spent the night with relatives or friends while authorities secured the area. Structural engineers have inspected adjacent buildings and, for now,
they are considered safe to reoccupy once the rescue operation is complete.
Despite the extremely difficult conditions, hope remains that the missing people could still be found alive. Officials emphasize that this is still a search-and-rescue operation, not a recovery mission.
Experts from the Technical Relief Agency note that people can survive up to 72 hours in air pockets beneath rubble under favorable conditions. As time passes, however, the urgency of the operation continues to grow, and every minute becomes critical.
