Several workers died or disappeared after scaffolding collapsed at a large construction site in the northern German port city of Hamburg, a fire department spokeswoman said on Monday, revising an earlier preliminary report.
“We are currently confirming three deaths,” a spokesman for the local fire department told AFP. The fire department initially reported five deaths.
“One person was injured and the life-threatening diagnosis is currently being made,” she said.
“At this time, one person is missing and is still under the rubble,” she added. Firefighters had previously spoken of “several missing people”.
AFP
According to popular daily Bild, the slain workers were in the middle of building an eight-story elevator shaft when the scaffolding fell at around 08:10 GMT, knocking them out into the air.
Around 70 members of the rescue teams are on site.
The accident, the causes of which are still unknown, occurred in Hafencity, a huge renovation project of a former part of the port of Hamburg.
According to Bild, the scaffolding collapsed at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, a new commercial, residential and leisure complex that is scheduled to be completed in spring 2024.
AFP
The complex will also include a new cruise terminal.
Its owner, the multinational Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, complained of a “tragic accident”.
The company, which specializes in the management, promotion and investment of large shopping centers, is supporting the relief workers and cooperating with the authorities, according to a press release.
“The rescue is proving to be very difficult,” a fire department spokesman told the “Hamburger Morgenpost,” as the entangled scaffolding elements made the operation dangerous for the rescuers.
According to Bild, the entire site, where around 700 workers worked, was evacuated.
Police cordoned off the crash site and a rescue helicopter and several ambulances arrived to transport the injured.