ReportWire

Tag: Dresden

  • A partial bridge collapse in eastern Germany disrupts traffic. No one was injured

    A partial bridge collapse in eastern Germany disrupts traffic. No one was injured

    BERLIN (AP) — Officials are investigating why a concrete bridge partially collapsed in eastern Germany early Wednesday, disrupting a major traffic artery in Dresden and interrupting the heating system for a city nicknamed “Florence on the Elbe” for its Baroque architecture.

    No one was injured when a section of the Carola Bridge fell into the Elbe River, the Dresden fire department said on its website. Police are treating the collapse as an accident, because there are no signs of foul play, according to German news agency dpa.

    The bridge dates back to East Germany’s formerly communist era, dpa reported, and officials at the scene said that chlorine corrosion from the time could have contributed to Wednesday’s collapse.

    The emergency closure of the entire bridge snarled travel for the city’s tram system, as well as motorists, pedestrians and cyclists who use the span to travel between Dresden’s Old Town and New Town. Boat traffic is also halted, affecting cargo ships and tourism sightseeing vessels.

    Crews were alerted shortly after 3 a.m. and are concerned more of the bridge — one of several crossings over the Elbe — could collapse in the coming hours.

    The last tram crossed the span just 18 minutes before the collapse, dpa reported. The section that fell was scheduled to be renovated next year, while other parts only reopened in March after months of construction.

    Pipes that are part of the city’s heating system were also damaged.

    “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 federal state capital of Dresden,” fire department spokesman Michael Klahre told reporters.

    Dresden is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Berlin.

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  • Part of haul from 2019 German museum jewelry heist recovered

    Part of haul from 2019 German museum jewelry heist recovered

    BERLIN (AP) — German authorities said Saturday that they have recovered a significant part of the 18th-century treasures stolen from Dresden’s Green Vault museum in a spectacular break-in more than three years ago.

    Prosecutors and police said in a statement that they secured 31 items in Berlin overnight, including “several pieces that appear to be complete.” They were taken to Dresden, more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) away, where police and then officials from the authority that oversees the city’s art collections plan to check their authenticity and examine whether they are intact.

    Some prominent items are still missing, authorities said.

    Saturday’s statement gave no details of where exactly the items were found and in what circumstances.

    But they said that the find was preceded by exploratory talks between prosecutors and the defense in an ongoing trial over the theft on a possible agreement that would include the return of stolen items. They added that they can give no further information ahead of the next trial session scheduled for Tuesday.

    Six men went on trial in Dresden in January, accused of gang robbery and arson over the Nov. 25, 2019, robbery. The German nationals were accused of stealing jewelry with a total insured value of at least 113.8 million euros ($121 million).

    Officials said at the time that the items taken included a large diamond brooch and a diamond epaulette. The treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony was established in 1723 and contains around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials on display in Dresden’s Royal Palace.

    Prosecutors have said that the suspects laid a fire just before the break-in to cut the power supply for street lights outside the museum, and also set fire to a car in a nearby garage before fleeing to Berlin.

    Saxony’s regional culture minister, Barbara Klepsch, said officials are waiting to see experts’ assessment and discover what condition the recovered pieces are in.

    “I remain hopeful that the wound opened in the historic Green Vault in the 2019 robbery will soon be closed,” Klepsch said in a statement. “This shows that, even three years after this painful break-in, it is worth not giving up hope and pursuing all tracks that arise.”

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  • Part of haul from 2019 German museum jewelry heist recovered

    Part of haul from 2019 German museum jewelry heist recovered

    BERLIN — German authorities said Saturday that they have recovered a significant part of the 18th-century treasures stolen from Dresden’s Green Vault museum in a spectacular break-in more than three years ago.

    Prosecutors and police said in a statement that they secured 31 items in Berlin overnight, including “several pieces that appear to be complete.” They were taken to Dresden, more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) away, where police and then officials from the authority that oversees the city’s art collections plan to check their authenticity and examine whether they are intact.

    Some prominent items are still missing, authorities said.

    Saturday’s statement gave no details of where exactly the items were found and in what circumstances.

    But they said that the find was preceded by exploratory talks between prosecutors and the defense in an ongoing trial over the theft on a possible agreement that would include the return of stolen items. They added that they can give no further information ahead of the next trial session scheduled for Tuesday.

    Six men went on trial in Dresden in January, accused of gang robbery and arson over the Nov. 25, 2019, robbery. The German nationals were accused of stealing jewelry with a total insured value of at least 113.8 million euros ($121 million).

    Officials said at the time that the items taken included a large diamond brooch and a diamond epaulette.

    Prosecutors have said that the suspects laid a fire just before the break-in to cut the power supply for street lights outside the museum, and also set fire to a car in a nearby garage before fleeing to Berlin.

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  • Police: Hostage situation in German city of Dresden

    Police: Hostage situation in German city of Dresden

    BERLIN — German police say a hostage situation is underway in the eastern city of Dresden, following reports of shots fired Saturday morning.

    Police urged people to avoid an area in the city center and ordered Dresden’s Christmas market to remain closed.

    Radio Dresden earlier reported that shots had been fired at a building near the main train station.

    German tabloid Bild reported that a woman was killed. Police couldn’t immediately be reached to confirm either report.

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