Duisburg may have narrowly avoided an accident of catastrophic proportions. A small plane crashes into the parking lot of a circus tent. 900 people follow the show that is running at this time - and hardly notice the fatal accident right in front of the tent entrance.
Two people died when a small-engine aircraft crashed into the parking lot of a full circus tent in Duisburg. The machine caught fire after the impact on the square - an old freight depot site not far from the A59 - the police and fire brigade reported. The crash happened during an ongoing show with around 900 visitors, as a fire department spokesman at the scene of the accident described. The tent entrance was only about 50 meters from the crash site.
According to the fire brigade, the music in the FlicFlac tent was so loud that the crash of the small machine was hardly or not at all audible. According to WDR, it was an ultralight aircraft. It is not yet possible to say who was killed on the plane. A police spokeswoman said in the early evening that two bodies had been recovered. According to preliminary findings, it is not assumed that other people were injured - there were no reports of injuries.
On site, the phrase "luck in misfortune" was often heard among the emergency services. The police also said that it was possible that one had narrowly missed an accident of catastrophic proportions.
The head of operations of the fire brigade informed about the accident after the event in the circus tent. The police then escorted the spectators out of the tent in order to avoid panic and chaos. However, initially only around 100 spectators were allowed to leave the tent in the late afternoon. Many had to be patient - their personal details and the license plates of their vehicles were recorded before they were allowed to drive off the site. About ten cars caught fire.
The plane wreckage was screened off with privacy screens. Experts from the air traffic control authority from the Düsseldorf district government examined the scene of the accident. The area was cordoned off over a large area - also to keep onlookers away.
Investigators said it was not yet possible to provide any information about the exact course of the accident and the cause. Initially, after the incident in the afternoon, the operation focused on extinguishing the fire. A cloud of black smoke rose above the scene of the accident. A helicopter circled. Around 60 emergency services were on site.
