Dutch FM update: Clean-up starts at Hoogersmilde

The remains of the Hoogersmilde mast. Photo © ANP

The owners of the television/radio tower in Hoogersmilde, Novec and Alticom, have started cleaning up the debris around the tower that partially collapsed Friday after a fire. Access to the tower is being strengthened, so that cranes can get to the mast.

On Tuesday an above-ground tunnel to the tower will be constructed from sea containers, so the mast can be safely approached for technical research, said a police spokesperson. According to the municipality of Midden-Drenthe the area around the tower is still unsafe. Some remains of the mast are still in danger of falling down. The debris will be removed to a location where the police can do further research into the cause of the fire and the collapse of the mast.

An area within a radius of 300 metres around the tower will remain off limits for at least the next few days. In the meantime, people living near the tower who were evacuated cannot return to their homes.

(Source: ANP via Media Network Weblog)