Traffic
Truck accident: A2 section towards Hanover still closed
A field of rubble: the A2 near Theeßen. photo
© Cevin Dettlaff/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Two dead and miles of traffic jams: That is the sad result of the serious truck accident on the A2 on Tuesday. It is still not clear when the burned-out vehicles can be recovered.
The A2 as an important east-west connection remains in the direction of the deadly truck accident Hanover closed until at least Saturday – on the section between Theeßen and Lostau in Saxony-Anhalt. “The Autobahn is still like a field of rubble,” said Tino Möhring, spokesman for the Autobahn GmbH des Bundes.
It is currently still completely unclear when the burned-out vehicles could be recovered in the direction of Hanover. Only then is an assessment of the damage to the motorway possible. In the direction of Berlin, the route was reopened on Wednesday evening.
According to their own statements, the police were able to end the accident recording on site on Wednesday afternoon. The investigations were ongoing, but statements about the cause of the accident were not yet possible, according to a spokeswoman. The identity of the two truck drivers killed has not yet been finally clarified. In addition to the two dead, there was one slightly injured. The other people involved in the accident were not injured.
fire and explosions
On Tuesday afternoon, according to initial findings, a dangerous goods transporter drove into a traffic jam in front of a construction site. According to information from the police, he pushed three trucks into each other. A fifth truck, loaded with nitrous oxide containers, then drove to the scene of the accident. A fire quickly developed as a result of the collision.
A video by an eyewitness shows that there were several loud explosions in quick succession and fire on the edge of the road after the accident. Parts flying around partially burned, thick smoke rose. Motorists fled the scene of the accident. An eyewitness said, “The street that was shaking. It was like an earthquake. And we just said, ‘Run to the back and get to safety. Leave the car.”
According to the Jerichower Land district, the fire brigade was on site on Tuesday with more than 200 emergency services – on Wednesday with ten firefighters. Hazardous substances experts took further measurements. The ground should be examined more closely as soon as the clearance work allowed, it said. Since toxins had been released, a restricted area around the accident site was initially required.
Accident on the detour route
Another accident occurred early Wednesday morning on a detour route that was set up after the accident. The police said two trucks collided on Landstraße 52 between Grabow and Theeßen. One of the vehicles touched a street tree and then got into oncoming traffic, it said. There the truck collided with the other. A branch was torn down and thrown into the windshield. The branch slightly injured the truck driver, it said. The highway was temporarily closed due to the accident.