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Emergency services at the scene of the accident: The concrete part fell on the moving car
Photo: Daniel Evers / dpa
On the Autobahn 3 near Cologne, a concrete slab weighing tons fell onto a car and killed a woman driver.
A fire department spokesman said the part, which weighs about five tons, came off a noise barrier on Friday morning and crashed into the moving car.
The busy motorway from the direction of Frankfurt into the Ruhr area was closed for an indefinite period.
Rescue workers secured the scene of the accident.
Structural engineers should check the stability of the noise barrier in question before the rescue, said the fire department spokesman.
Heavy plate was lifted with a crane
The killed woman was recovered from the car.
According to the police, the identity of the victim is so far unclear.
About 30 firefighters were on site.
They lifted the heavy plate with a crane at noon, moved the car and finally got the woman out, the emergency services said.
How long the A3 will remain closed is unclear, said the fire department spokesman.
It also has to be clarified whether the plate first has to be cut with a crane for recovery.
A mile-long traffic jam formed on the motorway.
According to WDR, the alternative routes were also full.
The A3 near Cologne should be bypassed extensively, it said.
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sen / dpa