Construction site "Neuer Kanzlerplatz" in Bonn-Gronau Construction worker buried under 500 kilo wall at Bonn-Center

Bonn · On Wednesday afternoon, the fire brigade was called out to a construction site accident at the former Bonn-Center in Bonn-Gronau. A construction worker was trapped under a 500 kilogram wooden formwork.

A person was trapped in Bonn-Gronau on Wednesday.

A person was trapped in Bonn-Gronau on Wednesday.

Foto: Matthias Kehrein

There was a major operation for police and rescue services yesterday at noon on the site of the former Bonn-Center: A wooden retaining wall weighing about 500 kilograms collapsed shortly after noon in the construction pit and buried a 27-year-old craftsman underneath.

"Since we had to assume that several people were buried under the heavy formwork element for a concrete wall, we moved out with heavy equipment," explained Eric Lambertz from the fire department. However, the special tools - including a crane, hydraulic cylinders and rescue cushions - did not have to be used: When the firefighters arrived, colleagues had already recovered the 27-year-old and pulled him out from under the wooden structure. Contrary to initial fears, he was not seriously injured. "He was responsive," explained Lambertz. The 27-year-old was taken to hospital by ambulance after initial medical treatment.

The Bonn fire brigade was on site with a total of 35 people and nine vehicles. During the half-hour operation, those were parked on Kaiserstraße, so that traffic on the Reuterbrücke and the B9 was not obstructed during the rescue. The Occupational Safety and Health Office was routinely called in to investigate the incident.

The project developer Art-Invest Real Estate is building the "Neuer Kanzlerplatz" urban quarter on the site of the former Bonn-Center, which was blown up in March 2017. Specifically, a three-segment new building with a high-rise building about 100 meters high is being constructed on the more than 15,000 square meter site. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2021. In addition to a usable area of around 66,000 square meters, approximately 1,000 car and 370 bicycle parking spaces will be built.

According to the client, the work is proceeding according to plan. Currently, the formwork for the columns and the walls in the first basement level is being erected. The 27-year-old construction worker who was buried under a wall yesterday at noon was apparently also working on this preparatory work for concreting.

"Along Reuterstrasse and at Bundeskanzlerplatz, the structural work has already reached the ground floor," explained a company spokeswoman. In a few weeks, the shell of the entire underground car park should be completed. "Then the buildings will grow out of the ground and into the sky," she added.

(Original text: Gabriele Immenkeppel; Translation: Mareike Graepel)

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