Two arrested over Görlitz house collapse that killed three; police suspect non-ferrous metal thieves triggered gas explosion
Three weeks after a residential building collapsed in Görlitz, Saxony, killing three people, police have arrested two men suspected of damaging gas pipes while searching for scrap metal.
The collapse and its victims
On 18 May 2026, a multi-family house at James-von-Moltke-Straße 21 in central Görlitz collapsed late in the afternoon. The building was from the Gründerzeit era. Three people died: two tourists from Romania, women aged 25 and 26, and a 48-year-old man originally from Bulgaria who also held German citizenship. Hundreds of emergency workers from the fire brigade, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), police, and rescue dog squads searched for days for the missing. At times they worked with shovels and bare hands through the rubble. Two heavy cranes and a three-digit number of personnel operated in three-shift rotation. Ten neighbouring houses had to be evacuated temporarily.
The suspects
Police spokesman Kai Siebenäuger identified the two suspects as a 27-year-old Polish national and a 33-year-old Afghan national. Both men were already in pre-trial detention "in another matter." On the afternoon of the collapse, the suspects were moving through several streets in Görlitz looking for items to steal, specifically bicycles, scrap, and non-ferrous metals such as copper pipes.
In this context they checked various front doors to see if they could be opened, in order to get into the hallways or basements.
Investigators have confirmed the two men gained entry to the building that later collapsed. What happened after they entered remains under investigation. The cellar cannot yet be examined because of the debris.
The suspected cause
Authorities had initially suspected a gas explosion caused the collapse. The current charge is "causing a explosives explosion resulting in death, in conjunction with negligent homicide." Police and prosecutors clarified that the term "explosives" is used only as an example; the legal definition is satisfied by any sudden expansion of gases or vapours that produces a sudden release of force.
It is purely the physical process of the explosion that matters, not the material used.
Investigators suspect the two men damaged or manipulated pipework in the building, causing gas to escape and triggering the explosion.
The investigation
Police and the public prosecutor's office have offered a reward of €5,000 for information leading to the clarification of the crime and conviction of the perpetrators. They are appealing to residents and tourists alike for witness statements. James-von-Moltke-Straße is a heavily trafficked road connecting the city centre with southern districts. Descriptions of the suspects have been published, and investigators are also seeking mobile phone footage, surveillance camera recordings, and dashcam video from the area.
- Two suspects seen moving through Görlitz streets searching for bicycles, scrap, and non-ferrous metals.
- Suspects check multiple front doors and gain entry to the building at James-von-Moltke-Straße 21.
- The multi-family house collapses late in the afternoon.
- Hundreds of emergency workers begin multi-day search through rubble; ten neighbouring houses evacuated.
- Bodies of three victims recovered from the debris over several days.
- Police announce arrest of two suspects and offer €5,000 reward for witness information.
