A river barge ship sank in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg on Tuesday morning for reasons that are still unclear, in accordance with local media.
The 80-meter-long river barge was moored at the Kali-Kai in the Blumensandhafen of Hamburg port, as Hamburg-based radio and television broadcaster NDR reports.
The ship had onboard 3,500 litres of diesel and 1,400 tonnes of potassium chloride, i.e. potash salt.
Potash salt is used, among other things, to produce fertilizer, as NDR said in its report.
Shortly after 5 a.m., the cargo ship suddenly listed, a fire department spokesman said.
Around 40 emergency services arrived to save it. An hour later the barge sank in the river Elbe. It is initially unclear why the ship sank in the river Elbe.
The fire brigade set up oil barriers around the scene of the accident as a precaution. A special company is supposed to pump out the fuel at low tide.
