The flood in Erftstadt robbed many of their self-built existence within a day. Prosecutors believe they have found reasons outside of the weather.
Cologne / Erftstadt – It was a Friday morning in July when Erftstadt residents were able to look not only hypothetically but also practically into the abyss. An aerial photo distributed by the district government in Cologne showed the extent of the destruction. What was visible was a huge hole in the ground, a kind of gorge that had opened in the middle of the flood disaster. Recordings in which some observers feel like in the scene of a Hollywood disaster film, but in fact the recordings came from Erftstadt near Cologne.
With the Hollywood parallels not enough, the disaster film is now turning into a crime thriller almost half a year after the incident. The suspicion: the landslide at the gravel pit in Erftstadt could not be attributed to the forces of nature alone. On Tuesday (January 11th, 2022) 140 police officers fanned out to search offices and living spaces.
Landslide in Erftstadt: Public prosecutor searches over 20 addresses
According to the public prosecutor’s office, it is now investigating several suspects: the owner and lessor of the opencast mine in Erftstadt, five suspects from the operator and four suspects from the Arnsberg district government, which is the responsible supervisory and licensing authority according to law. In the course of this, searches were initiated at 20 addresses, mainly in Bergheim, Erftstadt, Cologne and Dortmund.
Specifically, it is about the suspicion of negligent causing a flood by failure, the building risk and violation of the Federal Mining Act.
Landslide in Blessem: Public prosecutor’s office examines connection with gravel pit
On the southern edge of the “old area” of the Erftstadt-Blessem gravel pit, there is no supposed to have been a flood protection wall that complies with the provisions, according to the public prosecutor’s office about the previous investigations. There could also have been impermissibly steep embankments. It is possible that both aspects were responsible for the penetration of large volumes of water into the gravel pit in July 2021. Heavy rain – which at that time also flooded other parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate – flooded the pit at that time. Then the floor slipped away in the nearby Blessem district. Several buildings were swept away.
“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,” says Cologne Public Prosecutor Ulrich Bremer about the allegations made against the suspects are between 29 and 65 years old.
Several public prosecutors are investigating the flood events
Several experts had previously been called in to clarify the question of responsibilities. Investigators also questioned stuff: inside. The relatively complex procedure was directed against unknown persons at the beginning. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the scope of punishment provides for a prison sentence of up to three years if a conviction occurs.
With the ongoing investigations in Cologne, the legal processing of the flood disaster is making further progress. Several public prosecutors are currently looking closely at what happened during the days of the crisis. The public prosecutor’s office in Koblenz has been investigating the district administrator of the Ahrweiler district and another member of his crisis team for a long time. 134 people died in the flash flood in the Ahr valley, and there were also deaths in other cities.
For many Erftstadt residents, in view of the gigantic throat, it almost feels like a miracle that nobody lost their life back then. (Lukas Zigo with dpa)
List of rubric lists: © Rhein-Erft-Kreis / dpa
