The photo of a huge landslide in a gravel pit in Erftstadt near Cologne became one of the images of the devastating floods in 2021. Did human error contribute to the disaster?
Cologne / Erftstadt – Because of the severe landslide in Erftstadt during the flood disaster in the summer, investigators carried out searches against several suspects.
More than 140 police officers searched more than 20 office and residential addresses, the public prosecutor announced on Tuesday morning when the operation was still ongoing. The proceedings are directed against the owner and lessor of the opencast mine in Erftstadt, five suspects from the operator and four suspects from the Arnsberg district government, who are the competent supervisory and licensing authority under the Federal Mining Act
In Erftstadt-Blessem near Cologne, on the night of July 16, 2021, the ground near a gravel pit on the Erft river had slipped away after heavy rain flooded the pit. Storms with unusually heavy rainfall triggered a flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. Several buildings were swept away at the gravel pit in Erftstadt. There were no deaths. The image of the huge crater burned itself into the memories.
The public prosecutor’s office is now investigating the suspicion of negligent causing a flood through failure, the building risk and violation of the Federal Mining Act. According to the previous investigations, there could not have been a flood protection wall corresponding to the regulations on the southern edge of the “old area” of the gravel pit concerned, as well as inadmissibly steep embankments, according to the investigators. Both aspects could have caused the penetration of large amounts of water into the gravel pit.
“There is a suspicion that the accused would have recognized the conditions at the flood protection wall and the pit embankments due to their professional involvement with the gravel pit and could and should have taken remedial action,” said Cologne Public Prosecutor Ulrich Bremer about the allegations. The accused are between 29 and 65 years old. Several experts were brought in to clarify the responsibilities. At the beginning, the proceedings were directed against unknown persons.
The premises in Bergheim, Erftstadt, Cologne and Dortmund were searched on Tuesday. According to the public prosecutor, the operating company is based in Bergheim near Cologne. However, “to find and secure procedural-relevant documents” – rooms of unsuspicious consulting and civil engineering companies as well as expert and surveying offices were also searched. One searched object was in Thuringia. The branch of a consulting company is located there. dpa
