Worker killed in accident on shuttered Rhine bridge in Germany

A serious accident on a shuttered old bridge over the Rhine River near Cologne on Thursday left one construction worker dead and six more injured, two of them critically, reported dpa, quoting the local fire brigade.

The old Leverkusen Rhine bridge is in the process of being demolished. A fire brigade spokesman said on Thursday morning that the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident are unclear but are being investigated.

The fire brigade has secured the accident area so that police can begin the investigation. The structure itself remains stable, authorities said.

The old bridge long carried the A1 motorway across the Rhine from the northern part of Cologne to the industrial city of Leverkusen on the eastern bank of the river.

The first section of a replacement bridge opened to traffic in February after years of construction work. Work on the second section of the new bridge is scheduled to begin once demolition of the old bridge is complete.