Several workers were killed or are missing after the scaffolding collapsed at a major construction site in Hamburga port city in northern Germany, a spokesman for the fire service said today.

“We are currently confirming three deaths,” a spokesman for the local fire service told AFP. Firefighters initially reported five deaths.

“One person was injured and his life is not in danger,” he said.

“One person is currently reported as missing, possibly still under the rubble,” the spokeswoman added. Firefighters had previously spoken of “many people missing”.

The workers who lost their lives they were building an elevator car eight stories high when the scaffolding toppled around 10:00 a.m. Greek time, causing them to fall into the void, according to the popular Bild newspaper.

About 70 members of rescue crews are at the scene.

the accident, the causes of which remain unknown, it happened in Havencity, a huge redevelopment site of an old part of the port of Hamburg.

According to Bild, the scaffolding collapsed at the Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, a new shopping, residential and entertainment complex expected to be completed in the spring of 2024.

The complex will also include a new cruise ship terminal.

Its owner, the multinational company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, spoke of a “tragic accident”.

The company, which specializes in managing, promoting and investing in large shopping centers, expresses its “support for the rescue forces and is working with the authorities,” it said in a statement.

“The rescue is proving to be very difficult,” a spokesman for the fire department told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper, citing the complex elements of the scaffolding that make intervention dangerous for rescuers.

The construction site, where a total of around 700 workers work, was evacuated, according to Bild.

Police have cordoned off the scene of the accident and a rescue helicopter and several ambulances have arrived at the scene to transport the injured.