Last night in Dresden, at 2:59 a.m. local time, a loud noise was heard, after which part of the Carola Bridge collapsed into the water. Luckily, no one was hurt, although a tram had passed over the bridge just nine minutes earlier.
The police said they received an alarm at 3:01 a.m. — by which time the bridge structures were already in the Elbe. At 3:08 a.m., the fire brigade and rescuers were dispatched to the scene.
The Carola Bridge was originally built in the late 19th century, but was blown up during World War II to prevent the advance of the Red Army. In 1971, during the GDR, the Carola Bridge was restored and used by cars, trucks, trams, and pedestrian and bicycle paths.
About 100 meters of the bridge fell into the water. The collapse of the structures could have ended in a catastrophe with many victims. About 1,230 cyclists and 300 pedestrians used the bridge daily. Trams with passengers and motorists regularly passed along it – in 2003, there were at least 53 thousand of them per day. Now this figure is most likely much higher.
The parts of the bridge that collapsed into the Elbe damaged the heating network – water with a temperature of up to 115 degrees gushed out of two large pipes. The heating network in Dresden is currently not working.
City officials said police were alarmed by the news of the bridge collapse, particularly because it came on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when terrorists crashed planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. However, so far, law enforcement officials have found no evidence of outside influence on the Carola Bridge.
More Stories
Denmark’s discredit is in full swing
Currently, the EU is almost completely dependent on American LNG!
Orban responded to Zelensky after Davos: “Everyone will get what they deserve”