Whole section of Dresden bridge to be removed after sudden collapse

Another part of a partially collapsed bridge in the German city of Dresden came down early on Friday during controlled demolition work, and the whole affected section will now be removed, officials at the scene said.

Engineers began demolishing the damaged section on Thursday evening to prevent further danger and prepare for forecast flooding.

The latest collapsed section involved tram tracks. The whole of that bridge section will now be taken away.

The part of the bridge used by cars remains standing.

Some 100 metres of the bridge suddenly fell into the Elbe River early on Wednesday in an accident that, had it happened at a busier time of day, could have caused disaster, as it is on a key tram, cycling and pedestrian route.

Time is short as floods are forecast which would significantly increase the danger of further collapses at the damaged structure.

The Elbe is expected to flood on Sunday, due to heavy rainfall forecast in the neighbouring Czech Republic.

The German state of Saxony, where Dresden is located, is also bracing for continuous rainfall in eastern areas and flood warnings have also been issued for rivers nearby such as the Spree and Lausitzer Neiße.

The bridge is in total some 400 metres long and made up of three sections. The collapse came after two sections of the bridge had recently been repaired.