Heavy traffic southbound - A23 to Hamburg closed for hours due to accident
In the midst of the massive exodus of metal festival attendees from Wacken, the A23 towards Hamburg was fully closed for several hours. The reason: Several cars had collided at Lägerdorf (Circular Steinburg). "We had a pile of metal here and in the end no one was injured," a fire department spokesman told the German Press Agency. Due to the accidents, hazardous materials such as oil had leaked. The highway had to be closed until the road maintenance crew had cleaned the lanes.
Initial findings suggest that eight cars had lightly collided. Two people were seen by the rescue service. However, no one had to be taken to the hospital. Earlier, the radio station NDR 1 Welle Nord had reported.
The accident still had a significant impact on traffic towards Hamburg. The highway remained fully closed for more than two hours, affecting not only Lower Saxons who were now heading home after the holidays but also numerous metal fans returning south after the end of the open-air festival in Wacken. "The detour routes are also congested. Drivers need a lot of patience right now," a police spokesman said.
Adding to this, there was a further restriction on the A7 at Hamburg-Bahrenfeld. In the morning, a caravan had burned, and the highway towards the south was only two lanes wide in the afternoon and evening.
The collision occurred near Lağerdorf, which is part of the district of Steinburg. Despite the accidents, no one from the eight involved cars required hospitalization.
