Pre-WWII building collapses in Poland killing 6, including 2 children

At least six people were killed and four injured in Swiebodzice town in Poland after a pre-Second World War building collapsed on Saturday (8 April). The dead victims included two children.

Rescue operations continued through the night and local officials confirmed that they found no survivors under the rubble. A total of 18 people were residing in the building, according to Radio Poland.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo visited the site – 420km southwest of capital Warsaw – later in the day and interacted with the injured victims and rescue workers. He assured that the victims in need of any financial assistance will be provided help.

Daniel Mucha, regional spokesman for the firefighters, told the Associated Press that the two upper floors of the three-storeyed building might have collapsed due to a gas explosion. An investigation was scheduled to be initiated to ascertain the cause of the accident.

The main gas line to the building was shut during the rescue operation as a precautionary measure. It was not known how many people were inside the building at the time of the collapse.

Meanwhile, Polish news channel TVN24 reported that the injured were taken to hospitals in Swiebodzice and in Wroclaw.

A survivor, identified only by her first name Stanislawa, told the news channel that she "miraculously" survived the accident. From a hospital in Swiebodzice, she said: "I was in the kitchen and suddenly it was dark and full of debris and some broken wooden planks. I got on top of those planks and started calling 'Help! Help!' Two firefighters came and pulled me out by the arm."

She was clueless about her husband, who was resting on the bed at the time of the collapse. Her teenage son survived the collapse, but she said that the family had lost everything.