Worker in fatal incident at Fehmarnbelt Tunnel site in Germany

Workers gather at the Fehmarnbelt factory to celebrate the completion of the first tunnel manufacturing hall. (Image: Femern A/S)

The deceased was announced as a 41-year-old Polish construction worker.

Reports said the man was struck in the head by an excavator bucket during shaft work. Emergency services attended the scene, “but the injuries were so severe that the man passed away at the construction site,” said Femern (translated from German to English).

Following the accident, psychosocial emergency services were provided to the workers at the site.

The report stated the exact sequence of events is being investigated by German authorities, Femern, and the companies involved with construction.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased during this difficult time,” said Henrik Vincentsen, CEO of Femern. “Safety at work is taken very seriously during the construction of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel. We now have to wait for the results of the authorities’ investigations and any recommendations.”

About the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel

The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, also called the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, is a 17.6km (10.9-mile) road and rail tunnel that will connect the Danish island of Lolland with the German island of Fehmarn. The tunnel will traverse underwater through the Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea.

Once connected, the line will run to Denmark’s Zealand Island and eventually to Copenhagen on the Danish mainland. Once complete, it will be the world’s longest road and rail tunnel and will shorten the trip from Lolland to Fehmarn from 45 minutes (by boat) to ten minutes by car and seven minutes by rail.

Construction of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel near Puttgarden began 15 April of this year.

The tunnel is expected to cost €7 billion (US$8.2 billion) and open in 2029.

Read more about the project here.

See video of the project here.