Cologne (dpa/lnw) – The picture of the huge crater in Erftstadt-Blessem after the flood disaster of July 2021 went around the world – now the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” reports that the flood protection at the neighboring gravel pit has long been insufficient . According to an interim report by the police and the public prosecutor’s office, there has not been an adequate flood protection wall on the southern border of the opencast mine since 1996.
A spokesman for the Cologne public prosecutor said that they did not want to comment on the article at this time. The investigations are far from over. The fact that things are still in flux can be seen, among other things, from the fact that investigations are no longer being carried out against ten but against twelve suspects.
The floods had triggered a huge landslide in Erftstadt-Blessem, and several houses fell into the water from one moment to the next. In the eyes of many residents, one reason for this was the adjacent gravel pit, which had continued to expand. As a consequence of the catastrophe, the gravel pit is no longer in operation. Instead, a local recreation lake is to be created in the long term. The resulting crater itself has been partially filled with earth and is to be transformed into a floodplain area. The Erft is to be given more space so that future flooding will not have such catastrophic consequences.
According to information from the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”, the public prosecutor’s office is also investigating four inspectors from the Arnsberg district government, some of whom are retired. They were responsible for the supervision and safety checks of the gravel pit.
