Cruel accident at work in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Two workers die when a 60 to 80 ton mold breaks on a crane and falls to the ground. A colleague is seriously injured. Now the police have confiscated the crime scene.
In an accident at work in the iron foundry in Torgelow (West Pomerania-Greifswald), two men were killed and another worker was seriously injured. As a police spokesman said on Wednesday, the accident happened on Tuesday evening in a foundry hall where molds weighing several tons are produced for the large cast parts. The criminal police have confiscated the hall as a crime scene for the time being, so production there is at a standstill.
Specialists from the State Office for Health and Social Affairs are now to examine the scene of the accident to find out whether, among other things, the prescribed material was used and the prescribed distances to the loads were maintained. The public prosecutor’s office has appointed an expert to evaluate these findings and find out the cause of the accident.
According to initial investigations, a 60 to 80 tonne casting mold had been moved around the hall using a heavy-duty crane. When this mold, which includes hardened sand, was to be placed on pedestals, it broke.
A 53-year-old worker was hit by fragments and pronounced dead immediately by a doctor. A 51-year-old was buried and could only be found dead about four hours later. The third worker suffered a leg injury and was taken to a clinic in Greifswald with serious injuries.
The foundry has been producing very large parts for wind turbines, weighing several tons, including rotor hubs and gear housings for years. The company with more than 300 employees is considered an important industrial employer in Western Pomerania, had experienced turbulence in 2020 as a result of the corona pandemic, among other things, and was taken over by the Thuringian Silbitz Group GmbH at the beginning of 2022. At first, no one could be reached at the foundry for comment.
