Shortly before flooding

Collapsed bridge in Dresden was blown up

(Bild: APA/AFP)

After part of the Carola Bridge in Dresden partially collapsed into the Elbe on Wednesday night, blasting was carried out at the site of the accident. The structure was in acute danger of collapse and controlled demolition was necessary. 

Streetcar tracks and a cycle and footpath run over the collapsed bridge - it had collapsed over a length of around 100 meters, two other bridges for car traffic are still standing.

In this article you can see a video of the controlled demolition work:

Bridge remains lowered
On Thursday evening, work began on attaching explosive charges to the partially collapsed bridge. In the night to Friday, explosions could be heard every hour. The bridge could no longer hold and had to be completely demolished. Laser measurements showed that the remains of the bridge were slowly sinking.

Urgent action required due to imminent flooding
Time is of the essence for the emergency services: The Elbe is forecast to flood on Sunday, which would significantly increase the danger. The bridge, which is around 400 meters long, consists of three parallel sections: The streetcar ran over the so-called bridge section C and there was a footpath and cycle path. The neighboring bridge sections A and B were used by cars. All three bridge sections are connected to each other by crossbeams.

Another bridge section also damaged
According to the fire department, the Elbe bridge in Dresden city center is endangered as a whole. Part B was also damaged "by the force of the collapse and the displacement of the superstructure", said Simone Prüfer, head of the road and civil engineering department, on Thursday.