Collapse of the bridge in German Dresden: Bild named the culprits.

In Dresden, on the night of Thursday, part of the Carolabrücke bridge collapsed into the Elbe river. This happened after heavy concrete segments blocked the riverbed. The part of the bridge used by trams was damaged.

In Dresden, part of the bridge collapsed pic.twitter.com/kIqRS5khoQ

— GLAVKOM (@GLAVCOM_UA) September 11, 2024

The remaining parts of the bridge were controlled-demolished at 2:50 AM local Time on Thursday. This happened after the use of explosives. This occured approximately two days after the initial bridge collapse.

2x Sprengung -> stundenlange Abrissarbeiten -> 2x Einsturz Die #Carolabrücke #Dresden blieb hartnäckig. Doch gegen kurz vor 3 Uhr (fast genau 2 Tage nach dem ersten Teileinsturz), kracht mit einem großen Knall der Rest des Brückenteils zusammen. Die "Highlights" im Video: pic.twitter.com/8fZ4m6YQyN

— vue.critique (@vuecritique) September 13, 2024

According to Holger Kalbe, head of the bridges and engineering structures department in Dresden, the most probable cause of the collapse is the anti-icing solution of magnesium chloride. In winter, it was used for road treatment during the times of the GDR. This chemical caused corrosion of the concrete bridge.

«During the GDR times, we widely used chlorides. The chlorides penetrated the structure of the bridge and caused corrosion of the reinforcement inside. We couldn't even foresee that the condition of the bridge had become so bad that it would collapse», said Kalbe.

The Carolabrücke bridge was built in 1892 and named after the wife of the King of Saxony Albert - Carola von Wasa-Holstein-Gottorp. During World War II, the bridge was completely destroyed and then rebuilt in 1971.

Also, in Germany, the Augsburg City Hall was closed due to the discovery of highly toxic asbestos material in the ceiling of the Golden Hall.