The investigations into the exact cause of the accident are still ongoing, but Holger Kalbe at least expressed a suspicion: corrosion could be responsible – a result of inadequate maintenance in the past. “We had massive chloride entry here during the GDR times,” said Kalbe. At the place where the bridge section collapsed, a mast of the transport company was standing. It is conceivable that “chlorides have massively penetrated at that spot and led to corrosion of the reinforcement inside the bridge.”
The German bridge construction expert Steffen Marx has described the collapse of a part of the Carolabrücke (Carola Bridge) as a disaster. “It is especially a disaster because no one predicted it,” said Marx, who is a professor at the Institute of Solid Construction at TU Dresden. “The structure must now be considered completely at risk of collapse.”
According to the fire department, a gap about one meter long has formed at the bridge head on the old town side. When the incident commander Michael Klahre surveyed the situation during the night, there was suddenly a loud bang, he reported. Two district heating pipes burst. The water that gushed out completely flooded parts of the terrace bank. Initially, district heating went out across the entire city area. Gradually, the responsible energy provider attempted to bring the individual districts back online.
The police cordoned off the collapse site extensively. Car traffic and trams were redirected. People were urged to stay away as much as possible. Nevertheless, hundreds of onlookers gathered by the Elbe to catch a glimpse of the collapsed bridge. The remaining standing bridge components can not be used for the time being. There will be no short-term approval for the other two bridge spans, Kalbe said. The collapsed bridge section was connected at one point to the other bridge spans. There too, there was damage. The entire structure must now be examined.
The collapsed span of the Carolabrücke in Dresden was scheduled to be renovated next year. Additionally, there was to be a traffic trial on the bridge until the end of the year, aiming to make the bridge safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The trial and the project were controversial.
The police currently assumes that the partial collapse was an accident. “There are zero indications of any criminal behavior. There is no investigation process,” said police spokesman Geithner. It is now about clarifying the exact cause. If it turns out that mistakes were made, then a criminal procedure would also be initiated, said Geithner. “But these indications are currently missing.”
However, the emergency services in Dresden are plagued by another concern: flood risk. Although the fire department considers itself prepared for a possible flood of the Elbe, this could complicate the clean-up efforts after the partial collapse of the Carolabrücke. There is knowledge about a possible severe weather situation in the east, said Michael Klahre from the Dresden fire department. “We definitely have the event on our radar.” Concrete measures would not initially derive from this, it was said. It is still completely unclear how specifically such weather conditions will manifest. There is a defense plan that would be activated in the event of flooding. “We are alerted and prepared,” Klahre said.
The German Weather Service (DWD) does not expect a severe weather situation for Saxony itself; however, it will probably rain extremely heavily in central Czech Republic, in the Isar and Giant Mountains, as well as in large parts of Austria. This will have an impact on the rivers in Saxony. A DWD meteorologist in Leipzig said that from Friday to Sunday, steady rain is expected east of the Elbe and especially in the border triangle of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The precipitation is expected to accumulate to 40 to 50 liters per square meter. However, much more rain is expected in the Czech Republic and large parts of Austria with 150 to 200 liters per square meter.