Berlin
Car crashes against the Brandenburg Gate – dead man in the car
Police forces next to the completely destroyed car at the Brandenburg Gate
© Annette Riedl / DPA
Fatal incident at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin: A car crashed into a pillar of the capital’s most famous landmark. The forces found a dead man in the wreck.
A car crashed into a pillar of the Brandenburg Gate in downtown Berlin on Monday night. Firefighters found a dead man in the car, a police spokesman said early in the morning. Except for him, most likely no one was in the car at the time of the collision. “According to initial findings, no other people were harmed,” the police later said on Twitter.
Square closed off in front of the Brandenburg Gate
The car – a dark Mercedes with a notchback – was reported to have crashed into the capital’s landmark around 11:30 p.m. yesterday evening, coming from the central boulevard Unter den Linden. The badly damaged car came to a standstill wedged between two pillars of the gate. Black marks and minor chips were visible on the massive pillars.
How fast the vehicle was driving is still unclear – as is the identity of the driver and the background to the incident. “Investigations into the driver’s identity and what happened are ongoing,” police tweeted.
The man’s body was recovered from the completely demolished wreckage during the night and handed over to forensic medicine. According to the fire department, 30 emergency services were on site. A privacy screen was erected around the wrecked car.
Investigators secured evidence at the scene of the incident on Pariser Platz in the Mitte district. It was still unclear in the morning whether the square in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which is popular with tourists, would be made freely accessible again during the course of the day.