A ‘small technical defect’ involving a storage tank caused the spill from the DreiMeister chocolate factory in Westoennen.
A street in a western German town got a repaving worthy of fictional sweet maker Willy Wonka when a ton of chocolate flowed out of a factory and solidified.
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German newspaper Soester Anzeiger reported that a “small technical defect” involving a storage tank caused the sweet and sticky spill from the DreiMeister chocolate factory in Westoennen.
After hitting the chilly pavement, the milk chocolate quickly hardened.
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About 25 firefighters landed the job of prying the coating off with shovels and using hot water and torches to remove remaining bits from cracks and holes.
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Company boss Markus Luckey told the Anzeiger the factory would be back in action on Wednesday.
He said if the spill had happened closer to Christmas, “that would have been a catastrophe”.
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BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday toured flooded regions in the southwest, where rivers have swelled and caused flash floods and landslides after heavy rain and severe weather.
Scholz canceled his attendance at an election campaign event in Saarland, on the border with France, and instead wore rain boots as he walked on a partially flooded road in the village of Kleinblittersdorf together with regional Gov. Anke Rehlinger.
Emergency services have responded to thousands of requests for help in the state capital of Saarbrücken. Several buildings in the city had to be evacuated as houses and cellars were flooded. Cars were partially submerged and streets filled with water. The city set up alternative accommodation in schools and established a hotline for those affected.
There was no immediate information about the exact scale of the damage. No casualties have been reported.
Scholz assured the state of Saarland of the federal government's solidarity. “Unfortunately, it is not the first time that we have to manage a big natural disaster and therefore we will of course look at what needs to be done here now and what is necessary,” he told reporters.
Saarland has already implemented first steps to release financial support, the German news agency dpa reported.
The German weather service in the meantime lifted the weather alert for Germany as rain is expected to ease slowly. Authorities in Saarland said such flash flood only happen every 20 to 50 years.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, centre left and Minister President Anke Rehlinger visit Kleinblittersdorf, Germany, which was hit by flooding, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Scholz has toured flooded regions in the southwest, where rivers have swelled and caused flash floods and landslides after heavy rain and severe weather. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets the emergency services who were deployed to help with the Saar floodings in Saarbruecken, Germany, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (Helmut Fricke/dpa via AP)
A man makes his way through a flooded road in Lebach, germany, Friday, May 17, 20924. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP)
The highway entrance to the A620 in Saarbrücken is flooded as heavy continuous rain has caused multiple floods and landslides in Saarland, western Germany, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (Laszlo Pinter/dpa via AP)
