Overview

• Three construction workers, two Polish and one German, aged 40 to 46, died when their gondola fell at the Neckartalbrücke bridge site on May 20, 2025.
• Authorities in Pforzheim and Rottweil have identified cable entanglement with crossing wire ropes during the gondola's ascent as a likely cause of the steel cable snapping.
• The gondola was being lifted by a crane to a bridge pillar when the steel suspension cable failed, causing it to plummet from a significant height.
• Forensic and regulatory investigations are ongoing to determine how the entanglement occurred and whether safety protocols were followed.
• The incident highlights the risks of high-altitude construction work and the critical importance of rigorous safety measures in complex projects.