BERLIN (AP) — Authorities are investigating what caused a concrete bridge to partially collapse in eastern Germany early Wednesday, cutting off a major traffic artery in Dresden and shutting down the heating system in the city nicknamed “Florence on the Elbe” for its Baroque architecture.
The Dresden fire department said on its website that part of the Carola Bridge had fallen into the Elbe River but that no one was injured. Police are treating the collapse as an accident as there are no suspicious circumstances, according to the German news agency DPA.
The bridge dates back to East Germany's communist era and officials at the site said corrosion from chlorine from that time may have contributed to Wednesday's collapse, according to the DPA news agency.
The emergency closure of the entire bridge disrupted tram services in Dresden and affected cars, pedestrians and cyclists who use the bridge to travel between Dresden's old and new towns. Shipping traffic was also halted, affecting cargo ships and tourist boats.
Workers were alerted just after 3 a.m. and fear more sections of the bridge, one of several across the Elbe river, could collapse in the coming hours.
The last tram had crossed the bridge just 18 minutes before the collapse, according to DPA news agency. The collapsed section was due to be repaired next year, while the other section only reopened in March after months of work.
Pipes that are part of the city's heating system were also damaged.
“In addition, two large district heating pipes have burst, causing a complete loss of hot water throughout the state capital, Dresden,” fire department spokesman Michael Krale told reporters.
Dresden is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Berlin.
