Workers began demolishing a hotel in the German town of Kröv in the southwestern state of Rhineland Palatinate on Friday in order to recover what is believed to be the final remaining body under the rubble.

The Hotel Reichsschenke Zum Ritter Götz collapsed on Tuesday night, killing two people and initially trapping several others.

The remaining body is believed to be that of the hotel's owner, police said. A woman's body has already been recovered.

Heavy machinery was brought in to the Mosel River hamlet on Friday to tear down the building, starting with the gable wall.

Investigation underway

An expert made the decision to demolish the building after emergency services were unable to reach the remaining body after two days.

Police said cracks were also found in neighboring buildings, but it was unclear whether these cracks were connected to the hotel collapse or whether they were there beforehand.

The Hotel Reichsschenke Zum Ritter Götz was built in the 17th century but was extended upward in the 1980s.

The floor that separates the original construction from the modern extension is the section of the building that caved in, local authorities said.

The public prosecutor's office in Trier has opened an investigation.

zc/rmt (dpa, AFP)