Overview
- Authorities confirmed that two adults and a child from the same family died after falling from the 65‑metre Harzturm in Altenau.
- The fire department was alerted at about 16:45 on Thursday, July 16, and emergency crews sealed the scene and set up privacy screens while county crisis teams assisted on site.
- Police have characterized the incident as having a suicidal background and have reported no indication of a structural or technical defect in the tower.
- A formal investigation is ongoing to clarify the exact circumstances of the fall and to establish how the events unfolded on the tower's viewing platforms and Skywalk.
- The Harzturm is a prominent regional attraction with two platforms, a 45‑metre glass‑floor Skywalk, stairs and elevator access, and a 110‑metre slide, a profile that has increased public attention and prompted sensitive reporting and reminder of available mental‑health hotlines.