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Extinguishing work in the Elbe Tunnel (symbolic image)
Photo: Bodo Marks / picture alliance/dpa
Several cars caught fire in Hamburg's Elbe Tunnel after an accident. The vehicles have since been extinguished and the southbound highway 7 has been reopened. Both tubes to the south are now passable again, said a spokesman for the traffic control center.
The tube, which was not affected by the fire, was also reopened to the north, as reported by NDR, among others. However, traffic is massively congested, so the Elbe tunnel should be bypassed widely.
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According to the fire brigade, there had been an accident with three cars in the first tube of the Elbe tunnel to the north in the morning. Two cars were completely burned out. Six people were taken to hospitals with injuries, and 53 people were also cared for by the fire brigade. According to NDR, they were stuck in a traffic jam behind the accident site and were able to escape through the safety doors into the side tube and thus escape the smoke.
bbr/dpa