Two art students are in critical condition after they fell from the roof of the Düsseldorf Art Academy in Germany. According to reports several students congregated on the roof to cool off in the heat wave that hit Germany last weekend.

The young man and woman sat on an old chimney cover which suddenly broke and the pair fell 30 meters from the roof into the basement.

Rheinische Post reported that the two students were conscious when emergency services winched themselves down the 80 x 80 cm wide chimney to provide urgent medical care.

In order to save the pair firefighters had to open the chimney from the basement. The male patient was quickly removed and brought to hospital with serious injuries.

The students were severely injured after falling 30 meters.
Photo: Courtesy of Patrick Schüller via Rheinische Post.

Having fallen two meters lower to the bottom of the shaft, the woman suffered life-threatening injuries and firefighters had to break through the brick chimney to reach her. After being secured on a stretcher in corset and neck brace she was rushed to the hospital.

Emergency counsellors were on site to care for the other students who witnessed the accident.

The complex rescue operation required 35 emergency responders and took over three hours.

The point on the roof where the students had sat was not publicly accessible. “It takes considerable effort to get to it,” said Alex Wissel, spokesman for the Art Academy.