GA English on Sunday News in Brief from Bonn and the Region

Bonn/Region · The Viktoria Bridge is now closed until Tuesday, more Bonn families are able to return from Afghanistan, three people were injured in a collision between a car and a tram in Cologne, and a drunk man was taken into custody after accosting children in Bonn city centre – here is our news in brief on Sunday.

GA English on Sunday: News in Brief from Bonn and the Region
Foto: Benjamin Westhoff

The Viktoria Bridge is now closed until Tuesday 

Bonn. There were no major traffic jams on Friday after the Viktoria Bridge was closed to cars, and traffic disruption to the surrounding area was limited. The morning and afternoon rush hours remained quiet in the western part of the city on Endenicher Straße and Wittelsbacher Ring, and in the northern part of the city on Hochstadenring and Bornheimer Straße. Motorists were able to take the signposted detour via Propsthof and the southern underpass at the train station. Buses and trams felt the extra traffic. The bridge remains open for cyclists and pedestrians and should be passable again by lunchtime on Tuesday at the latest. 

On Friday morning, a dozen or so cars found themselves in the middle of the bridge because the closure fence had not been carefully shut after a concrete mixer had entered. Construction workers are currently finishing the ramps. On the west city side, filling gravel can already be seen, on top of which a frost protection layer and several asphalt layers are being applied. On the ramp on the north city side, construction workers put the steel reinforcement in place on Friday. The next step will be to pour the concrete. By the end of the year, the bridge structure should be finished and ready for operation after five and a half years. The cost forecast for demolition and new construction of the bridge alone was originally 12.5 million euros and has now risen to 37.5 million euros. 

For the large-scale Viktoria Bridge project, which includes a ramp from the bridge to the Alter Friedhof distribution circle that has not yet been built, as well as the widening and extension of the bicycle and pedestrian tunnel on Herwarthstraße that has not yet been carried out, 24.6 million euros had been budgeted before construction began. In 2019, the city announced a jump in costs to 45 million euros. As things stand, this sum will hardly be enough. 

(Original text; Philipp Königs)  

More Bonn families are able to return from Afghanistan 

Bonn. The wife and three children of Naqi A, a Bonn resident with Afghan roots, who were unable to leave the country after a family visit arrived back in Bonn a few days ago after more than two months. 

The number of Bonn residents stuck in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power is slowly decreasing. According to GA information, at least eight people from Bonn - six children and two women - are still waiting to leave the country. Claudia Köse, the head of the Carl-Schurz elementary school has been coordinating contacts with Bonn families with Afghan roots, cultivating exchanges with schools, politicians and aid organisations. The exact number of those wanting to leave Afghanistan and residing in Bonn could not be determined. The Foreign Office repeatedly did not respond to inquiries. Due to the lack of government support, both the Bonn coordinator and family members of the stranded people have been looking for other options. 

Norbert Röttgen (CDU), expressed relief at the recent successes of the returnees, but said that "the process has been extremely difficult in every single case and the families in Kabul are largely left to fend for themselves. There is virtually no communication from the State Department, which creates a great deal of uncertainty for those affected. He said that every chance should be taken to get German citizens, local forces and those at risk out of Afghanistan. All those involved are united not only by relief but also by more or less open criticism of the inaction of the German government and its organs. 

Private organisations such as the Kabul Airlift are offering direct aid. At the end of August, an initiative was formed around MEP Erik Marquardt (Greens) to help evacuate people from Afghanistan. The group, financed by donations and thanks to numerous contacts on the ground and in neighbouring countries, has already evacuated hundreds of people. 

In total, 147 people from Afghanistan are currently staying in Bonn. The people, who worked for Bonn organisations, and their families are being accommodated in a municipal accommodation and partly elsewhere. They have access to social workers, day-care centres and schools. 

(Original text; Alexander Barth)  

Three people were injured in a collision between a car and a tram in Cologne  

Cologne. A tram and a car collided in Cologne on Friday evening. All passengers in the tram were uninjured and were able to leave the tram on their own, the fire department said. The tram driver and a colleague were also uninjured, but received medical treatment as a precaution. The side of the car was hit by the tram. The three occupants of the car were injured and the driver was trapped in her vehicle and was freed by the fire service. The woman and her two passengers were taken to hospital. There is currently no further information about the casualties or their identity. 

(Original text; dpa)   

A drunk man accosts children in Bonn city centre 

Bonn. On Thursday afternoon, a 44-year-old man accosted several passers-by in downtown Bonn. According to witnesses, the man, who was apparently drunk, ran up to children several times on Münsterplatz and frightened them. A police patrol therefore ordered the man to leave the area. 

The drunken man then apparently moved on to Friedensplatz, where he again aggressively accosted several passers-by, according to police. Alerted by several witnesses, the police officers conducted a breath alcohol test on the 44-year-old, which showed a value of about 1.7 per mille. In addition, a small knife was found in the man's clothing. When the suspect continued his aggressive behaviour after the initial dispersal order, the police officers took him into custody. 

(Original text; ga) 

(Translations; John Chandler) 

Meistgelesen
Neueste Artikel
Zum Thema
Aus dem Ressort