Current:Home > reviewsTrucker detained after huge potato spill snarls traffic on key Denmark bridge -StockFocus
Trucker detained after huge potato spill snarls traffic on key Denmark bridge
View
Date:2025-04-11 21:42:28
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! (79935)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- John Tucker Must Die Stars Confirm Sequel Is in the Works 18 Years Later
- Snowstorm unleashes blizzard conditions across Plains, Midwest
- New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy suspends run for U.S. Senate
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- The Daily Money: Good news for your 401(k)?
- March Madness picks: Our Monday bracket predictions for 2024 NCAA women's tournament
- Royal Family Member Shares Rare Insight Into Prince William and Kate Middleton's Family Dynamic
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Lottery madness! Could this Mega Millions and Powerball number help you score $2 billion?
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Stock market today: Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street closes near record finish
- Linda L. Bean, entrepreneur and granddaughter of L.L. Bean founder, dies at 82
- Fareed Zakaria decries the anti-Americanism in America's politics today
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Maine fishermen caught more fish in 2023, thanks to a hunger relief program and COVID funds
- LSU uses second-half surge to rout Middle Tennessee, reach women's Sweet 16
- Maine fishermen caught more fish in 2023, thanks to a hunger relief program and COVID funds
Recommendation
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
A mother killed her 5-year-old daughter and hid the body, prosecutors in Syracuse say
'A race against time:' video shows New Jersey firefighters freeing dog from tire rim
Jennifer Lopez Showcases Her Body-Sculpting Fitness Routine
Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
Sacha Baron Cohen Reacts to Rebel Wilson Calling Him an “A--hole” in New Memoir
Texas man dies after becoming trapped while cleaning a Wisconsin city’s water tank, police say
1886 shipwreck found in Lake Michigan by explorers using newspaper clippings as clues: Bad things happen in threes