A worker on the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel between Germany and Denmark has died after being struck on the head by an excavator shovel on Monday afternoon.
The 41-year-old Polish worker was working on a drainage shaft at the Puttgarden site on the German side of the tunnel when the incident occurred.
The man died before emergency services could reach him.
Femern A/S, the company set up to carry out the project, says the incident is under investigation by the German authorities and the construction companies involved.
Following the incident, all employees on site were offered crisis counselling from a pastor.
Henrik Vincentsen, the chief executive of Femern, said in a press statement: “Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased during this difficult time. The safety of our workers is of utmost importance during the construction of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel. We will await the findings of the authorities’ investigation and any potential recommendations.”
The project has been underway for three years, and the main 18km-long trench was completed last week.
In January 2023, the project celebrated 3 million consecutive work hours without a serious incident.
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