Frankfurt, renowned as Germany's financial hub, has transformed into a vibrant football game destination, attracting football fans from around the world as the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament is in full swing in the city.
As the tournament progresses, fans from all over the world are flocking to Frankfurt, transforming the city into a vibrant and international metropolis beaming with football enthusiasm. During the matches, restaurants, bars, and hotels in the city center are packed to full capacity, while the public transportation system is experiencing an unprecedented surge.
According to estimates from the Frankfurt Tourist+Congress Board, the city is expected to welcome approximately 1 million visitors during the Euro 2024, where football fans gather to experience the thrilling charm of football and taste each other's cultures and passion.
Frankfurt's fan zone, located along the banks of the Main River, can house up to 30,000 football fans who watch live broadcasts of the Euro 2024 matches on the giant screen. Fans without tickets to the games in the stadium would gather here, drinking beer, waving flags, and cheering for their teams.
"We are nine guys coming from Switzerland only for this match. Unfortunately, we don't have any tickets for the game. But nevertheless, we came here to Frankfurt only to enjoy the scenery, the atmosphere, and to have a great time here together with friends, with people all over the world. So, yes, we're happy to be here," said a football fan from Switzerland.
The Euro 2024's influence extends far beyond the football pitch, which also provides a significant boost to the local economy. During the tournament, the hotel occupancy rates in Frankfurt have increased significantly, while the food and retail sectors are making substantial growth in turnover.
"We've got a lot of foreign guests not only from the UK, but also from Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and other countries. And the turnover doubled. A lot of people came and celebrated after the game. Even more fans who celebrated after the game packed the bar almost every night," said Anthony Thornley, owner of a bar.
Frankfurt will host a total of five matches during the Euro 2024 football championship. To ensure the smooth and safe operation of the event, the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, has been diligently preparing for over two years. In addition to deploying around 4,000 police officers for the game, Hesse has also installed a comprehensive surveillance system monitored by a dedicated police unit.
Opened on June 14, the grand event will end with the final in Berlin on July 14. In addition to Frankfurt, the EURO 2024 is also held in other nine German cities, including Munich, Dortmund and Stuttgart.
Frankfurt embraces football excitement during Euro 2024 football championship
Leaders of the China Search and Rescue Team dispatched to Myanmar following a deadly earthquake recalled details of their difficult rescue operations.
The powerful 7.9-magnitude quake, the strongest recorded in the country in a century, rocked the Sagaing Region of Myanmar on March 28, with the epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city.
As of April 2, the China Search and Rescue Team had successfully participated in the rescue of five survivors since arriving in the earthquake-stricken area in Myanmar. Chinese rescue forces as a whole had rescued a total of nine survivors.
Zhao Ming, head of the Chinese national rescue team, said in an interview with China Media Group that the high temperature increased the difficulty of rescue. Fortunately, the rescue team received support from the local people.
"We brought along some necessary medicines and equipment, and actively sought solutions locally. I think our actions inspired the local people, who spontaneously sent us some drinks and many electric fans. Of course, we also took strict measures on the rescue scene. The smell of decay was very strong at the earthquake site, so we asked our operation teams to conduct disinfection before leaving the site and after returning," Zhao said.
On March 31, the China Search and Rescue Team pulled out four survivors - three adult females and a girl - after 13 hours of hard work in Myanmar's seriously-hit Mandalay City.
At 00:40 March 31 local time, an adult female trapped for nearly 60 hours was rescued after over five hours of relentless work, marking the first survivor rescued by the team in the city.
Without pausing for rest, the rescuers immediately moved to another nearby site at the Sky Villa apartment complex.
Recalling details of the rescue mission, Li Guangnai, deputy leader of the China Search and Rescue Team, said that effective search and rescue methods improved efficiency at the dangerous and complicated structure.
"When we rescued the second and third survivors, they were in Block C of the apartment, which collapsed like a pancake. After arriving at the scene, the rescuers went to the roof according to the direction given by the survivors' family members. When we used the radar life detector on the roof, we did not find them. So we created absolute silence by suspending all rescue operations and then knocked on the floor with stones to transmit the sound to see if there was any response from the trapped people. We knocked continuously and received a response from inside. Through the sound, we quickly confirmed the approximate location. According to the evaluation of the experts on the scene, we used a method of top-to-bottom demolition for the rescue," Li said.
At 05:37 on the day, a 5-year-old girl who was buried in Block C of Sky Villa was rescued. Li said the girl was curled up in fear in the corner of the wardrobe when being found, protecting her head with a teddy bear.
About an hour later, a woman who was buried in the same rubble was successfully rescued. She was 26 weeks pregnant. At around 07:15, a 29-year-old woman trapped in Block A of Sky Villa was pulled out of the debris. She was trapped under the broken beam on the sixth floor for 65 hours.
Another survivor was miraculously pulled out alive from beneath the rubble of a collapsed hotel in central Myanmar's disaster-hit Mandalay City on April 2. The male survivor was said to be in a stable condition after spending nearly 125 hours buried among the ruins of the Golden Country Hotel building.
Zhao said that after the 72-hour "golden window" for rescue, the China Search and Rescue Team would begin to cooperate with local authorities to carry out diagnosis and treatment of the injured and disaster assessment.
"As the possibility of finding survivors in the disaster area decreases, our team can assist the local area in some other work. For example, today we officially set up an outpatient clinic on the street with the permission of the local government. Our earthquake engineering experts can conduct emergency assessments on some buildings," he said.
Chinese rescue team recalls details in Myanmar earthquake rescue missions
