Cologne, Germany  - The body of a man missing in the collapse of the Cologne city archive building was recovered early Sunday under the rubble, the fire department said.

Two young men, who were believed to be in apartments in an adjacent building, had been missing since the collapse on Tuesday. The identity of the man whose remains had been found was not yet known.

The building's destruction appeared to be linked to tunnelling work for a new underground train line that undermined the structure, which was crammed with manuscripts detailing Europe's medieval heritage and the works of great authors and musicians.

The archive staff and users had fled to safety within three minutes after the walls began to groan and buckle. A total of three buildings then fell into the hole that opened up in the ground. (dpa)