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15th body pulled from ice rinkVictim could be that of a missing 35-year-old mother
BAD REICHENHALL, Germany (CNN) -- A 15th body was found early Thursday in the rubble of a skating rink in southern Germany whose roof collapsed under the weight of snow. Police said the person was believed to be the final victim, and could be that of the missing 35-year-old mother of three children killed in the tragedy. Thirteen people out of the 18 who were injured remained hospitalized, three with serious -- but not life-threatening -- injuries. About 50 people, many children still on Christmas holidays, were inside the ice rink when it collapsed in the town of Bad Reichenhall, close to the border with Austria, on Monday. One of the survivors, teenager Elfriede Datz, told N24 television from her hospital bed that "all I know is there was a very loud bang, and more I don't know. I can't remember." Pope Benedict XVI, who grew up nearby, sent a message of sympathy to the grieving town. "Pope Benedict XVI is remembering in his prayers the people killed in this tragic accident, especially the children, and he is asking the Lord for a speedy help and rescue of those still trapped," a telegram of condolences said, according to The Associated Press. Rescue workers recovered three bodies Wednesday, the last a girl aged between 12 and 16 years old. "We have to give the sad news that we have found another victim," said Georg Grabner, the chief administrator of the surrounding district of Berchtesgaden. "Only one more person lies buried under the rubble." The bodies of two boys were found earlier in the day. Rescuers had to clear wreckage with heavy equipment, then sent in teams with dogs trained to detect buried victims. Then more workers entered the shaky ruin, digging with shovels and hands and removing debris with wheelbarrows. Meanwhile, other structures were checked, and some were evacuated, out of concern that a similar collapse might occur. In Traunstein, a train station was evacuated because of heavy snow on its roof, until the snow could be cleared. A store in a nearby area was also blocked off. A foot of snow fell in the 24 hours before the collapse; some of the snowfall has been mixed with sleet, adding to its weight. About 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Bad Reichenhall, heavy snow caused the roof of a Lidl supermarket to collapse in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday night. The store was closed at the time, and the high shelves prevented the roof from crashing to the floor. One employee was slightly hurt. After the collapse in southern Germany, it took hours for the cranes to be moved through the snow to the high-elevation area, where they began to lift heavy sections of the rink's roof. Michael Posch, a state government spokesman, said six cranes were moved in shortly after the collapse to shore up the roof in an effort to aid rescuers and to keep it from collapsing further. One person was rescued more than six hours after the accident, he said. The delay in getting cranes to the site prompted stinging criticism from the press. "Slackness, ignorance and ineptitude," screamed the headline in a local newspaper. The local prosecutor said he had launched a criminal investigation into the collapse itself, looking for possible negligence. There were reports that rink officials had begun evacuating the building shortly before the accident. But Posch said that was not the case. "This is not true," he said. "The snow load on the roof was far below the limit that is given for evacuation. And so, the danger was unknown and it wasn't expected." CNN Correspondent Chris Burns and Producer Tomas Etzler contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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