DRESDEN: A bridge partially collapsed within the jap German metropolis of Dresden early on Wednesday (Sep 11), with authorities saying nobody was injured however that there was a danger of additional sections crumbling.
A roughly 100m part of the Carola Bridge, which connects Dresden’s historic outdated city to different elements of the town, plunged into the Elbe river round 3am (9am, Singapore time), the Dresden fireplace brigade stated.
The bridge and the encircling space have been sealed off, inflicting main disruption to interior metropolis visitors.
Officers warned that different elements of the bridge may but come crashing down.
“There’s nonetheless an acute hazard to life and danger of collapse,” fireplace brigade spokesman Michael Klahre stated.
No one was on or beneath the bridge on the time of the incident.
The final tram had crossed the bridge at round 2.50am (8.50, Singapore time), mere minutes earlier than the collapse and narrowly avoiding disaster.
“I’m very, very pleased that primarily based on what we all know, nobody was harm,” Klahre stated at a press convention alongside different officers.
Police spokesman Thomas Geithner stated officers who occurred to be stationed simply 50 metres away “described listening to a loud, heavy noise, the bottom shook”.
Rescue companies and different specialists have been deployed on the scene to evaluate the harm and safe the bridge.
The reason for the collapse remains to be being investigated.
The concrete construction might have suffered from corrosion brought on by chloride contamination previously, Holger Kalbe, head of the bridges and civil engineering constructions division for the town of Dresden, instructed reporters.
However he added that this was only a first “assumption” and specialists would have extra certainty on what occurred within the coming days.