In the ruins of the hotel in M. Lázních, firefighters found no one, the operation has ended

Mariánské Lázně - Firefighters this morning completed their operation at the collapsed section of the former hotel Kavkaz in Mariánské Lázně after three days. They found no one in the rubble, reported Karlovy Vary firefighters' spokesperson Martin Kasal in a press release. The ceilings collapsed on Sunday in the rear section of the long-abandoned hotel in the city center. The firefighters' efforts were complicated by the instability of the entire rear part of the building, which ultimately had to be completely demolished.

Rubble was searched by specialists with specially trained dogs, which indicated a spot where people might be trapped under the debris. "The piles of rubble were excavated while being searched. After the firefighters from the USAR team reached the basement areas beneath the collapse site, they could rule out the possibility that any person was buried in the rubble," said Kasal.

Securing the building on Goethe Square will now be the responsibility of its owner, which is the company Spa Treatments Mariánské Lázně. As previously stated by its director Leo Novobilský to ČTK, they do not currently plan to demolish the main section. The spa company had intended to renovate the former hotel a few years ago for 700 to 800 million crowns but ultimately halted the project due to high costs.

A portion of the ceilings between the first and second floors collapsed on Sunday afternoon in the listed heritage building. The structure, built in the 1920s, was once among the most luxurious hotels in the city. It has been unused since the 1990s and is now in a state of emergency. In the center of Mariánské Lázně, this is the third building in recent years that has had serious technical deficiencies; according to Mayor Petr Třešňák (Pirates), there are about 20 buildings in the city in a very neglected state.