Dutch family names baby after German rescuer who saved them from hotel collapse
A couple from Urk who survived the deadly collapse of a hotel in Germany last year has named their newborn son after one of the rescue workers who helped save their lives, according to NOS. The child, named Christoph, is a tribute to Christoph Reuter, a German emergency responder who played a central role in pulling the family from the rubble.
The couple, Edi and Mark Hoefnagel, announced the birth of their second child on Instagram. In the message, they wrote, “He is named after Christoph Reuter, the man who risked his life to rescue us from the debris.” They also added that Reuter became the face of all those involved in the intense rescue operation following the collapse.
The incident occurred during the family's vacation in Kröv, a German town along the Moselle River. The partially collapsed hotel killed two people. At the time of the collapse, Edi was several weeks pregnant and had only recently shared the news with her husband.
Edi and the couple’s two-year-old son survived the initial collapse after a door fell on top of them, shielding them from falling debris. After several hours, rescue workers managed to free both of them from the rubble.
Mark, however, was trapped for 13 hours beneath the remains of the building. His injuries were severe. The nerves in his feet were badly damaged, leaving him with lasting mobility problems. He is still undergoing rehabilitation. “Mark will need to slowly start regaining feeling,” Edi told Dutch broadcaster EO. “We continue to pray for that.”
