Police and firefighters at the scene of the accident Photo: Philipp Schulze/dpa
By Thomas Knoop
Terrible tragedy in a privately organized camp! Fathers and their children met in Toppenstedt (Lower Saxony) for an excursion including an overnight stay.
A group of children of kindergarten age is said to have been driven by an excavator over a dirt road “for amusement”. These were in a kind of lattice box that the wheel loader had lifted up. A hydraulic hose on the vehicle tore, causing the box to detach from the excavator and fall down. Some of the people were buried under the box.
Two people died, believed to be a 5-year-old boy and a father. The two are not related to each other, according to a spokesman for the fire department.
Investigators are also investigating the scene of the accident with the help of a drone Photo: Philipp Schulze/dpa
And further: “That’s always the horror idea when children are affected. Terrible scenes have happened here. Parents had to be prevented from running to the scene of the accident.”
Ten other children were injured on Saturday evening, some seriously, four of whom had to be taken to clinics by helicopter. Three rescue helicopters flew emergency doctors to the scene of the accident. The fire department sent all rescuers available in the area.
The police confiscated the wheel loader. The driver was taken to a police station, a spokesman said. There would be “routine” investigations carried out for possible influence by alcohol or drugs. A drone documents the site from the air, said the spokesman. The work is still ongoing. They would drag on into the night.
The background is still unclear at this time. Toppenstedt has a good 2000 inhabitants and is around 35 kilometers south of Hamburg.