A construction worker has been killed in the portal area at the site of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel in Puttgarden, officials have announced.
The 41-year-old Polish worker was hit on the head by an excavator shovel, a statement said, and although emergency services responded immediately, he died at the scene.
“The exact circumstances of the accident are currently under investigation by the relevant German authorities and the construction companies involved,” said the statement. “Following the incident, all employees on site were offered psychological crisis counselling.”
The Fehmarnbelt is a tunnel comprising 79 elements, each 217 metres in length and 73,500 tonnes in weight, that will be totally immersed under the sea to link Denmark and Germany.
The tragic accident happened just as the project passed a milestone, with 18 kilometres of tunnel trench between Denmark and Germany now dug out.
Around 15 million cubic metres of soil were dredged from the seabed in a project that has so far taken three years and is slated for completion in 2029.
The consortium FBC arranged the dredging, which was done by Dutch companies Boskalis and Van Oord.
“At its peak, the combined fleet of FBC had up to 70 work vessels involved in the dredging of the 18 kilometre-long tunnel trench,” the operators said, with vessels including trailing suction hopper dredgers, backhoe dredgers, specially developed and built grab dredge pontoons and boulder clearance vessels.
During the operation, the dredgers came across huge blocks of granite from the Ice Age, with one of the largest weighing 70 tons.
“Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased during this difficult time,” said Henrik Vincentsen, CEO of Femern A/S. “The safety of our workers is of utmost importance during the construction of the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel. We will await the findings of the authorities’ investigation and any potential recommendations.”
