German firefighter plunges to death trying to clear snow from roof

A firefighter plunged to his death as crews worked frantically to remove snow from the roof of a hall in Bavaria to prevent its collapse.

Two other emergency workers also were injured in other incidents as snow kept falling in the southern German state. The heavy, wet snow has been blamed for several roof collapses in the area.

Most recently, six people escaped harm as the roof of a supermarket in the town of Toeging am Inn caved in. In the worst tragedy, 15 people, most children on school holiday, died when a skating rink roof fell in Bad Reichenhall in early January.

The 27-year-old firefighter was taking safety ropes to other rescue workers when he fell through a skylight in the hall in Kotzing yesterday, dropping 50 feet onto a concrete floor, police in nearby Traunstein said.

In the Deggendorf area, a 19-year-old soldier also fell through a skylight, falling 10 feet and injuring her back. She was being treated in a hospital for serious, but not life-threatening injuries.

And in Schoensee, the same thing happened to a 25-year-old firefighter, who went through a skylight and fell 15 feet into the hall whose roof he had been clearing, according to regional authorities. His injuries were considered life-threatening.

The snow was also causing chaos on the roads, with one man killed and three injured yesterday in multiple accidents on roads in the area, police said.

The German weather service forecast more snow throughout today.