Düsseldorf
Bang and flame: injured during Bundeswehr exercise
Two injured Bundeswehr soldiers run away after a fire broke out too early during a disaster control exercise
© Rolf Vennenbernd / DPA
The test turned serious: two soldiers were injured during a Bundeswehr exercise in Düsseldorf. They suffered burns.
During a Bundeswehr disaster control exercise in There was an accident in Düsseldorf with two people injured. There was a bang and a flash of flame, as a DPA reporter observed. A soldier was thrown from a so-called fire house used for training purposes into the bushes. The incident occurred a few meters away from the journalists invited to the exercise.
Bundeswehr Major Sebastian Linke confirmed the incident. The injured were immediately treated on site by rescue workers. One soldier was slightly injured. The other was taken to a hospital for further treatment. Both suffered burns. A deflagration occurred when the practice fire was lit, the major said. It is still unclear how the incident occurred. The relatives have been informed.
The injured soldiers ran away from the scene of the explosion, shouting “Realfall, Realfall” to make it clear that it was not part of the exercise. Around them were made-up actors of injured people who were simultaneously calling for help as part of the exercise. The “Brandhaus” is a building that is regularly used to practice extinguishing fires – including by the Düsseldorf fire department.
Preparations came to nothing
The Bundeswehr with 300 participants practiced, among other things, an explosion and a fire in a military security area with injuries. The deflagration occurred during preparations with gasoline and bales of straw. The exercise continued, albeit in a scaled-down form, because the accident led to a delay of around 40 minutes.
As part of the large-scale exercise LoKi24 (local interdisciplinary disaster control exercise 2024), various stations and scenarios should be practiced together with civil organizations such as the fire department. The exercise should last until Saturday.
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