People are trapped in hotel near the banks of the Moselle river Rhineland at Germany after parts of the building collapsed, local police announced today.

Rescue efforts have proved extremely complicated, according to the police statement. According to local media SWRemergency services have not been able to enter the building due to the risk of further collapse.

According to local media, shortly after 7am (local time) on Wednesday, one dead person was pulled from the wreckage, while 8 others remain trapped.

The Moselle region attracts tourists for its picturesque towns and vineyards on the steep banks of the river.

“There is a small child among the trapped. At the moment he is sleeping peacefully and we are in contact with the parents. We are also in contact with all the others,” a police representative told BILD.

According to the police, at the time of the collapse, there were 14 people in the building, five of whom managed to escape without injury.

One person lost his life, but rescue teams have not been able to pull him out of the wreckage. A large-scale operation by the police, the fire brigade and the Federal Technical Assistance Service (THW) is underway at the scene, involving more than 250 people, as well as specially trained dogs. “Due to the nature of the accident, the operation is extremely demanding as crews enter the building with great care and special preparation,” explained the police spokesman.

So far there is no information on the circumstances under which the roof of the two-story, partially wooden building collapsed, which is hanging sideways on part of the building, compressing the two floors on one side of the structure. As reported by South West German Radio (SWR), eyewitnesses said that shortly after 11:00pm (local time) last night a loud bang was heard and a large cloud of dust rose. The police will hold a press conference at 10:00 (local time) to update on the latest developments.

The 14-room guesthouse “Reichschenke zum Ritter Gotz” (from Goethe’s work of the same name) is located in the Krewe wine-growing region of the Moselle River in Rhineland-Palatinate, near Trier, which is considered a particularly popular tourist destination for Germans. In the same area is the Gravenburg Castle.