Advertisement

Badly-attached container caused fatal accident on Great Belt Bridge

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Badly-attached container caused fatal accident on Great Belt Bridge
Trailers involved in the crash photographed on the Great Belt Bridge on January 2nd. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Danish accident investigators on Thursday said a train crash on the Great Belt Bridge in January, which killed eight people, was caused by a poorly-attached container.

Advertisement

The accident, which also injured 16, happened when a container came loose from a cargo train in strong winds and hit a passenger train travelling eastwards on the box-girder bridge section of the crossing.

The Great Belt Bridge connects the islands of Zealand, where Copenhagen is located, and Funen.

"It is likely that the tether (of the container) to the trailer had not been secured like it should," the country's Accident Investigation Bureau said in a preliminary report published Thursday.

It also found that high winds were strong enough to have dislodged the container.

"The wind was sufficient to overturn the trailer that day. We are relying on other observations such as the sparks and the discovery of detached pieces," said Bo Haaning, of the accident investigation office, speaking on public television.

The inquiry found that two other containers had not been attached properly and had moved.

READ ALSO: Death toll rises to eight in Danish Great Belt Bridge train accident

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also