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MILITARY

American military damages 60 cars at Danish port

Brand-new Mercedes, Jeep and Polestar cars were accidentally damaged by American military unloading at Danish port Esbjerg.

American military damages 60 cars at Danish port
US Apache helicopters pictured at Esbjerg Port in 2022. File photo: Claus Fisker/Ritzau Scanpix

The mishap occurred as a resulted of unloading work to move heavy military hardware from a ship onto the harbour, Danish newspaper Berlingske reports.

“It was the American military. It was some of their helicopters,” Port Esbjerg director Dennis Jul Pedersen told the newspaper.

Pedersen said he did not know if any insurance claim had been sent to the US Military.

The West Jutland port is used to import cars as well as serving as a port for Nato and US military equipment arrivals.

Some 40,000 cars are delivered at the port each year for onward transport to dealerships across Europe.

READ ALSO: US military unloads transport ship at Aarhus Harbour

The US Military is currently sending hardware to Port Esbjerg before it is transported from Denmark to Eastern Europe. Helicopters on the ships are prepared and then flown onwards to their next location.

The cars were damaged by stones thrown up by the helicopters, according to Berlingske’s report. The cars were parked in a large holding area.

Denmark’s military command authority, Forsvarskommandoen, told the newspaper it had received contact from an insurance company in relation to around 60 damaged cars.

“The damage is said to have occurred during an operation at Port Esbjerg in which helicopters from one of our operational partners flew over the car merchant’s holding park,” the authority said in a written comment.

The military command added it could not give detail as to the extent of the damage or who may be entitled to compensation.

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MILITARY

One in four in Denmark stocked up with ‘crisis’ water and food

A significant proportion of the Danish population has followed official advice to ensure they have enough supplies at home to get by for three days in the event of a crisis.

One in four in Denmark stocked up with ‘crisis’ water and food

Around a quarter of households have stocked three days’ supplies of water after advice was issued by authorities earlier this month to keep stores in case of a crisis.

A survey for newswire Ritzau by the Voxmeter institute found that around a quarter have already followed the guidelines. Over 1,000 people answered the survey, which was conducted between 6 and 9 days after the announcement.

The Danish Emergency Management Service (Beredsskabstyrelsen, DEMA) on June 15th issued advice for the general public to have certain supplies at home so that they are prepared in the event of a crisis. This can can mean natural events like extreme weather or human acts like cyber attacks or sabotage, DEMA said.

DEMA’s director Laila Reenberg, said at a briefing on the recommendations that there was no need to “rush out in panic” to purchase crisis supplies.

“But when you happen to be out grocery shopping, you can gradually fill out your supplies,” she said.

Some 26 percent said they have sufficient stocks of both food and water, while 72 percent said they did not in the survey conducted between June 21st-24th.

Those proportions are reasonable according to an expert, who said it was not expected that the entire country would rush to supermarkets to shop for the full checklist.

READ ALSO: 

But the numbers can also be used as a guideline for authorities, said Nina Blom Andersen, specialist in Disaster and Risk Management University College Copenhagen, speaking to news wire Ritzau.

“The authorities should use it as a signpost showing that they should always be aware that there is a group they need to look after,” she said.

The survey also asked respondents if they planned to buy things on the checklist that they do not already have.

Items on the list include power banks, first aid kits and wind-up radios.

“What could change these numbers to people being better prepared at home is continued focus on the task from the media, from authorities and that people keep talking about it in their social networks, private lives and relations,” Andersen said.

Focus on the issue from local as well as national authorities could also boost uptake, she added.

Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has said that information will be sent to all residents in Denmark by secure email “after the summer”.

Folders will also be placed at libraires and other public institutions, he said.

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