Two vehicles found in Lake Kemnade

A report from an angler, who had detected the outline of a large metallic object in Lake Kemnade using his fish finder, led to a major operation on Wednesday 17 June involving the fire service, the DLRG and, ultimately, the police. After an investigation of the spot indicated by the angler, carried out from a boat by Ruhrverband operational staff, had confirmed the initial suspicion that the object might be a vehicle, the Ruhrverband requested assistance from the Bochum Fire Brigade to recover the vehicle and transport it to the operational harbour at the weir. From there, the wreck was to have been lifted out of the water using a mobile crane. A dive carried out by the DLRG water rescue service, which had been called in, on the morning of 17 June confirmed the discovery of the vehicle; however, it could not initially be ruled out beyond doubt that there might still be a person inside. The Bochum police, who had already been informed in advance of the planned recovery, were then alerted and took over the further investigation. On Wednesday afternoon, the good news arrived: no person was found inside the vehicle after all. However, the condition of the car (which must have been lying in the lake for years) meant that the planned transport to the operational harbour was no longer feasible; instead, the wreck – along with another one discovered right next to the first – was lifted out of the water on the spot and deposited on the bank. Both vehicles now need to be removed and disposed of.