Current:Home > StocksTrucker detained after huge potato spill snarls traffic on key Denmark bridge-LoTradeCoin
Trucker detained after huge potato spill snarls traffic on key Denmark bridge
View Date:2024-12-23 16:35:27
Copenhagen, Denmark — A 57-year-old truck driver was detained Thursday after loads of potatoes were found spilled on a key bridge linking two Danish islands, police have said. The driver was held on suspicion of causing reckless endangerment to life.
A first spill was reported on the westbound side of the Storebaelt bridge at 6.35 a.m. (0435 GMT), police spokesman Kenneth Taanquist said. The bridge connects the island where the capital, Copenhagen, is located to the rest of Denmark.
A similar incident happened on the eastbound side a short time later, Taanquist added.
"It looks weird," he said. "We are working on two hypotheses: it is either an accident or it is something that has been done deliberately."
Police said the roads had become slippery and urged drivers to drive slowly. According to the Danish Road Directorate, lines of vehicles were reported on either side of the roughly 11-mile bridge and tunnel link between the islands of Funen, where Odense — Denmark's third largest city — is located, and Zealand, where Copenhagen sits.
A third incident of potatoes on the road was reported near the town of Kolding on the Jutland peninsula. Kolding is near the Storebaelt bridge.
Danish public broadcaster DR noted that the potato spills occurred on the same day as the Danish parliament passed a law to tax diesel trucks transporting heavy loads.
The new measure has drawn protests from truck drivers. In recent weeks, they peacefully blocked highways and main roads throughout the country, claiming the tax will make their livelihoods unsustainable. A majority in the Danish parliament argue it is vital as the continued use of gas and diesel-fueled trucks is environmentally unsustainable.
As of 2025, the drivers of gas and diesel-fueled vehicles over 3.5 tons (7, 716 pounds) will be taxed 1.3 kroner ($0.19) per kilometer (roughly half a mile) driven.
Torben Dyhl Hjorth, a spokesman for the protesting truckers, said on Facebook that they "strongly distance themselves from today's 'stunts'." He added that they were planning a protest at a later stage which "can be felt but without risk to people's lives and well-being."
- In:
- Climate Change
- Agriculture
- Electric Vehicle
- Environment
- Denmark
- Pollution
- European Union
veryGood! (24)
Related
- Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Porsche among 304k vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- White officer should go to trial in slaying of Black motorist, Michigan appeals court rules
- School choice measure will reach Kentucky’s November ballot, key lawmaker predicts
- Kansas City Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco runs so hard people say 'You run like you bite people'
- Glen Powell responds to rumor that he could replace Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible'
- Prosecutor tells jury that mother of Michigan school shooter is at fault for 4 student deaths
- New Jersey weighs ending out-of-pocket costs for women who seek abortions
- Fashion resale gives brands sustainability and revenue boost. Consumers win, too.
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Kardashian-Jenner Chef Spills the Tea on Their Eating Habits—Including the Foods They Avoid
Ranking
- Utah AD Mark Harlan fined $40,000 for ripping referees and the Big 12 after loss to BYU
- It Could Soon Get a Whole Lot Easier to Build Solar in The Western US
- Alaska charter company pays $900,000 after guide likely caused wildfire by failing to properly extinguish campfire
- Senate deal on border and Ukraine at risk of collapse as Trump pushes stronger measures
- At age 44, Rich Hill's baseball odyssey continues - now with Team USA
- Girlfriend of suspect in fatal shootings of 8 in Chicago suburb charged with obstruction, police say
- Artist who performed nude in 2010 Marina Abramovic exhibition sues MoMA over sexual assault claims
- You'll Have Love on the Brain After Seeing Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's Paris Outing
Recommendation
-
Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
-
El Gringo — alleged drug lord suspected in murders of 3 journalists — captured in Ecuador
-
Untangling the Controversy Surrounding Kyte Baby
-
Trump briefly testifies in E. Jean Carroll defamation trial
-
Dozens indicted over NYC gang warfare that led to the deaths of four bystanders
-
A bear was killed by a hunter months after it captivated a Michigan neighborhood
-
Bobbi Barrasso, wife of Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, has died after a fight with brain cancer
-
'Did you miss me?': Meghan McCain talks new show, leaving 'The View,' motherhood