Vehicles had to be redirected and boats stopped after a section of the Carola Bridge fell into the Elbe River
© Twitter / Mario Nawfal
A 100-meter section of a bridge in the German city of Dresden collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday, seriously congesting local traffic and severing water pipes, local authorities have reported.
No one was hurt in the incident, though a tram passed over the Carola Bridge just minutes before the collapse, according to Bild.
Local police reported that officers heard a loud noise at around 2:59am. By the time law enforcement arrived at the scene the bridge section had fully collapsed, a spokesperson told the outlet.
Security footage shows the moment the collapse occurred, accompanied by a burst of what appears to be dust and steam. A section of the structure with a footpath, cycle lane, and two sets of tram tracks over 100 meters long fell into the River Elbe below.
More details about #Dresden Bridge collapse Last night at 2:59 local time in Dresden there was a loud noise, after which part of the Carola Bridge in Dresden collapsed into the water. By a lucky coincidence, no one was hurt, although only 9 m earlier a passenger tram had passed pic.twitter.com/5K9JKd4NRF
— Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) September 11, 2024
“In addition, due to the bursting of two large district heating pipes, we have the problem that the supply of hot water has come to a complete standstill in the entire state capital of Dresden,” fire brigade spokesman Michael Klahre said in a statement later in the day, warning of the risk of further collapse.
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Water up to 115C burst out of the piping and ran into the surrounding area, Bild reported.
Streetcar and automotive traffic is diverted, the municipal transport company DVB announced on X.
While the Carola is one of four bridges over the Elbe in downtown Dresden, the regional capital, river traffic has been halted for an undetermined amount of time, according to city officials.
In June, Deutsche Welle warned that as many as 5,000 highway bridges in the country are in urgent need of repair. The same month, several German construction associations warned that planned federal budget cuts could prove “fatal” to the country’s infrastructure.