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Investigations against gravel pit operators after the flood disaster in Erftstadt
One of the most striking symbols of the flood disaster last year in the Ahr valley and the power of water was the demolition of the gravel pit in Erftstadt. Now the police are taking action against the operator of the facility. On Tuesday, she searched, among other things, the rooms of a building materials plant. The public prosecutor’s office in Cologne announced that it was investigating the suspicion of negligent causing of flooding through failure, inadequate construction site safety and violation of the Federal Mining Act. Senior Public Prosecutor Ulrich Bremer said on Tuesday in Cologne: “What we are now examining specifically is … the question of whether the flood protection wall was sufficient on the south side of the gravel pit. And there is currently the suspicion that this wall does not meet the legal requirements In addition, there is said to have been a steep embankment that should not have been there. Against this background, these two aspects may have led to erosion of the village and undercutting, with the result that several houses have collapsed . ” Initially, the ground near a gravel pit on the Erft River had slipped away after heavy rain flooded the pit. As a result, buildings and houses in the nearby district of Blessem were washed down, making them uninhabitable.
The public prosecutor’s office in Cologne announced that it was investigating the suspicion of negligent causing of flooding through failure, inadequate construction site safety and violation of the Federal Mining Act.