Several injured in explosion at Nürburgring race track
August 3, 2024
The explosion of a compressed air bottle injured 22 people Friday in the paddock at the Nürburgring motor-racing track in Germany.
The incident occurred the evening before the six-hour Ruhr Cup race.
Those hurt in the blast were swiftly taken to the hospital by rescue helicopter, a spokesman for the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring said. According to initial findings, the explosion occurred shortly after 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT/UTC) behind a pit lane. It is believed that a pressurized gas cylinder caused the blast.
"This afternoon, shortly after 6 p.m., there was an incident in the paddock area at the Nürburgring in which several people were injured, some of them seriously," police said in a statement. "According to current information, a pressurized cylinder exploded in the paddock."
Few details about those injured
A test and set-up run was happening when the explosion occurred, but this was immediately interrupted, and the scene of the accident was secured.
German police are now investigating what happened.
The test drive served as preparation for the NLS4, an endurance racing series. Various classes are due to race in the six-hour Ruhr Cup event on Saturday.