Overview
- The cable that guides the Elster–Wartenburg ferry snapped mid-journey, and the vessel drifted about 400 meters before the two crew members dropped anchor.
- Volunteer firefighters and disaster response teams brought everyone ashore unharmed and later removed three cars from the ferry.
- Police opened an investigation and said they currently point to material stress in cold conditions rather than operator error.
- The ferry has been recovered and taken out of service for now, and shipping on the Elbe saw about four hours of disruption.
- The ferry is a cable-guided craft that uses the river current for movement, and police may urge fresh cable checks on similar crossings that already undergo yearly inspections.