A roughly 100-metre section of the Carola Bridge, which connects Dresden’s historic old town to other parts of the city, plunged into the Elbe river overnight, the Dresden fire brigade said.

The bridge and the surrounding area have been sealed off, causing major disruption to inner city traffic.

Officials warned that other parts of the bridge could yet come crashing down.

“There is still an acute danger to life and risk of collapse,” fire brigade spokesman Michael Klahre said.

Residents have been urged to stay away from the area. 

Nobody was on or under the bridge at the time of the incident.

The last tram had crossed the bridge at around 02:50 am, mere minutes before the collapse and narrowly avoiding catastrophe.

“I am very, very happy that based on what we know, no one was hurt,” Klahre said at a press conference alongside other officials.

Police spokesman Thomas Geithner said officers who happened to be stationed just 50 metres away “described hearing a loud, heavy noise, the ground shook”.

Rescue services and other experts were deployed at the scene to assess the damage and secure the bridge.

The cause of the collapse is still being investigated.

The concrete structure may have suffered from corrosion caused by chloride contamination in the past, Holger Kalbe, head of the bridges and civil engineering structures department for the city of Dresden, told reporters.

But he added that this was just a first “assumption” and experts would have more certainty on what happened in the coming days.

The part of the bridge that fell down contained the section dedicated to tram lines and foot and cycling traffic. It was scheduled for maintenance work next year.

The other two sections of the bridge, for road vehicles, had already been renovated, Kalbe told reporters.

The partial collapse also damaged two major heating pipes, cutting off district heating in the city and temporarily leaving residents in some neighbourhoods without warm water, Klahre said.

Police said the partial collapse was being deemed an accident, and warned against spreading fake news on social media.

“There is zero indication” to suggest any criminal behaviour at this point, Geithner said.

On social media platform X, Saxony state police urged people not to share “any false reports” about the incident, adding that there “is no evidence so far of third-party interference”.

Disruption and diversions

The entire area around the bridge, including the Elbe waterway, the Elbe cycle path and the banks of the terrace, will remain completely closed until further notice, authorities said. 

Road users should expect significant disruptions. The B170 federal road is closed in both directions.

These tram lines are also affected: 

• Line 3 is being diverted in both directions between Neustadt station (Hansastr.) and Walpurgisstraße via Anton-/Leipziger Str., Neustädter Markt, Postplatz
• Line 7 is being diverted in both directions between Albertplatz and Walpurgisstraße via Neustadt station, Congress Center, Postplatz
• Line 8 is being diverted  in both directions between Albertplatz and Neustädter Markt via Neustadt station, Anton-/Leipziger Str

The Carola Bridge is one of Dresden’s main crossings. It was constructed when the region was part of communist East Germany and was completed in 1971. It is named after the wife of King Albert of Saxony.

Germany counts some 130,000 bridges, many of which were built decades ago when traffic was lighter.

Concerns have long been raised about the need for repairs and for more investment to modernise the ageing structures.