Ice rink death toll climbs to five

The death toll in a German ice rink disaster climbed to five this evening but rescuers feared it would go higher.

They feared 10 or more people were still trapped under the crumpled roof of the collapsed building in the Bavarian town of Bad Reichenhall, close to the Austrian border.

Thirty-two people were injured when the roof collapsed under the weight of snow during the middle of the afternoon when families with young children were enjoying themselves on the ice.

Authorities said families with children had been in the hall at the time of the accident, and at least three children were among the dead - a 13-year-old boy, an eight-year-old girl who was killed with her mother, and a 12-year-old boy who was revived at the scene but died later in hospital.

Tonight, a six-year-old girl was rescued with no significant injuries, and officials were still hopeful of finding more survivors.

“

There is still a chance that we can rescue living people from the rubble,” local fire service chief Rudi Zeis said.