Tank farm explosion near Niederstedem

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In the tank farm explosion near Niederstedem on September 23, 1954, 29 people were killed by the explosion of a large tank filled with aircraft fuel.

Course of the event

In near the airport Bitburg located Niederstedem 1954 fuel depot was NATO built. On behalf of Mission des Grands Travaux Aéronautiques (MGTA), German companies installed six large underground tanks , each with a capacity of 5,000 m³.

Shortly before the final completion of the plant, tanks 1 and 2 were already filled with jet fuel, the acceptance test by representatives of the US Air Force took place on September 23, 1954 . The security measures for the tank farm were demonstrated in front of around 40 invited guests, including representatives of the French military authorities and the army, German experts from the Federal Railways and RWE, and representatives of the construction companies involved. During the explanation of the CO 2 extinguishing system of tank 2 (the visitors had gone to the roof of the tank for this purpose) there was a huge explosion around 4 p.m. The contents of the tank built into a 25 m high hill burned out with extremely strong heat, smoke and soot. A huge mushroom cloud several hundred meters high stood over the fuel store.

After the accident

The fire brigades and rescue workers rushed to the area from the surrounding area were only able to rescue 23 people dead. Of the numerous seriously injured people, six more died in the period that followed. A total of 29 deaths, 21 Germans and 8 French, were mourned. The fire brigade could not finally extinguish the tank farm fire until around 4 a.m. the next morning. Prime Minister Peter Altmeier came to the disaster area that night to coordinate the rescue measures. He promised financial aid and set up a commission of inquiry. But the cause of the accident could never be clarified.

Four days later, a funeral service for the dead took place in Bitburg . The accident affected many people in the country, especially since the 1949 explosion in Prüm was not long ago. The event sparked discussions in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament and also in the Bundestag about the security of the military facilities of the occupying powers .

literature

  • P. Biertz: 25 years ago. Disaster in Niederstedem . In: Home calendar for the Bitburg-Prüm district, 1980, pp. 63–66.
  • H. Orth: The black day of Niederstedem . In: Bitburger Heimatkalender, 1956, pp. 17-19.

Web links

Coordinates: 49 ° 55 ′ 6 ″  N , 6 ° 29 ′ 6 ″  E