Hours after announcing the complete eviction of the mining village of Lützerath, occupied by hundreds of activists who wanted to prevent the demolition of the village for the expansion of an open-pit coal mine, the German police have rectified the situation by announcing that two people are still hiding in a tunnel.
The village of Lützerath, in western Germany and long abandoned by its inhabitants, was still occupied until Sunday afternoon by a small number of activists opposed to the expansion of coal mining in the area by the energy company RWE, reported DPA.
After a five-day operation, officials evacuated almost the entire village next to the lignite mine – a type of coal – announcing that there were no activists left, only to report hours later that two activists still remained in a tunnel.
The two remaining people are still holding out underground, trying to delay the demolition work as long as possible. So far, it is unclear how long it will take to remove them, according to an RWE company spokesman.
The company’s firefighters have taken over the efforts to get them out and are also monitoring a ventilation device in the shaft, the agency said.
Meanwhile, German police have evicted about 300 people from Lützerath after four acts of resistance by mass protests, which were also attended by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Police and protesters have accused each other of acting violently in Saturday’s riots. Police reported that 70 officers were injured and nine activists were taken by ambulance to hospitals. The protesters claim that dozens are injured, some with serious injuries that could even be life-threatening.
Up to twelve demonstrators have been arrested and 30 official vehicles have been damaged, eight with broken mirrors, graffiti and stoned. Up to 32 tires of police vehicles have been slashed.
Nevertheless, RWE has announced that, once the site is completely cleared, it plans to mine coal from the site.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
