Kosice, Slovakia— An industrial roof collapse trapped three workers Wednesday morning at a construction site in Košice, forcing firefighters and rescue dogs to dig through steel and concrete for hours.
Pravda.sk reported the collapse happened at 9:40 a.m. in an industrial park near the steelworks. The workers were installing roofing panels on a new logistics hall. A section of the steel truss gave way. The roof dropped six meters.
Two workers were buried up to their waists. A third was fully covered under sheeting. Colleagues called 112 and tried to lift beams by hand. Site managers shut off power and cleared the area.
Firefighters from Kosice and technical rescue units arrived within 12 minutes. They deployed cranes, cutting tools, and acoustic sensors. One worker was freed after 45 minutes with a broken leg. A second was pulled out after two hours with chest injuries.
The third worker remained trapped until 1:15 p.m. Rescuers cut through twisted rebar to reach him. He was conscious throughout and spoke to crews. He was taken to Louis Pasteur University Hospital with severe leg fractures and hypothermia.
Inspector Tomas Horvath of the Labor Inspectorate said preliminary checks show scaffolding overload. He said concrete had been poured the previous day and the support structure had not cured. He said safety logs will be seized.
The developer, a Slovak-German joint venture, said work on the hall has been suspended. The company said it has cooperated with inspectors. It said all workers had harnesses but no overhead protection. Union officials called the collapse preventable.
The site was cordoned as a crime scene. Prosecutors opened a case for endangering safety at work and negligent injury. Structural engineers will assess whether the design met load standards.
The three men, aged 28, 34, and 41, are all Slovak nationals. Two remain hospitalized. The third was discharged. Work at the industrial park is halted pending inspection.
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