Part of a four-story hotel northwest of Prague collapsed yesterday, killing four people and leaving at least two missing. Radio reports said all six were members of the same Polish family.

Witnesses said the collapse at the Oharka hotel in Louny, a city 45 miles from the capital of the Czech republic, occurred early in the morning after a loud explosion.

Police declined to confirm any details, saying an investigation was under way.

Fire brigade spokeswoman Hana Krivanova said 15 people were evacuated and three were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The dead were found trapped in rubble by rescue teams with trained dogs and special equipment, Krivanova said. At least two people were missing, she said.

The 12-year-old hotel is frequented by Polish workers in the Czech Republic. It was nearly empty because most residents went home for Easter.

Coca-Cola is reportedly developing a vanilla-flavored version of its flagship cola, extending the company's palette of flavorings from Cherry Coke and Diet Coke with lemon.

The nation's largest soft drink company has prepared sample packaging for the new drink, to be sold initially only in North America, according to Beverage Digest, which reported the pending introduction in its current issue. Coke officials declined to comment on the report.

"It is not yet an absolute certainty, but I think it's very likely that they'll launch a line extension of Coke Classic," Beverage Digest editor John Sicher said yesterday. "It's become very clear in the last year or two that new products and innovation are an important component of marketing and drives growth."

Coca-Cola Classic remained the nation's top-selling soft drink last year, but analysts said Coke hopes to emulate the success of rival Pepsi-Cola Co., which has seen sales soar for Code Red, a version of its highly caffeinated Mountain Dew.

Adding vanilla to Coke will produce a different kind of buzz.

"I think they are excited about the prospect of adding some news to their flagship brand," said Marc Cohen, a beverage analyst with Goldman Sachs.

But don't expect to see a vanilla-flavored Pepsi anytime soon.

"It's not something we're looking at," said spokesman Larry Jabbonsky of Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi. "We think it's a bit vanilla."

A Peoria man accused of killing his wife and her children and hiding their bodies was convicted of murder yesterday.

David Anthony, 53, was found guilty of three first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his wife, Donna, and her two children, Danielle, 14, and Richard, 12.

The mother and children were reported missing after they failed to board a July 7 flight from Phoenix to Columbus, Ohio.

Investigators believe the three were slain in their suburban Peoria home, but their bodies haven't been found.

During the six-week trial, prosecutors had argued that blood spatters found in the home linked him to the deaths.

Prosecutors also said Anthony tried to cover up the crimes.

Anthony's attorney, Ulisses Ferragut Jr., argued the case should be treated as a missing persons' case, rather than a murder case.