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17 tons of cocoa destroyed on German highway

July 15, 2019

Police have suggested the incident could have caused over €100,000 ($113,000) in damage. For now, the roads remain closed where the blaze occurred.

https://p.dw.com/p/3M7EG
Firefighters fighting cocoa blaze
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TNN

17 tons of cocoa were destroyed on Monday after a truck caught fire on a German autobahn.

The driver escaped unharmed, but the chocolate powder was not afforded the same amount of fortune.

Read more: Germany's best chocolates ranked

The incident occurred on the A14 between Berlin and Hamburg, near the town of Grabow, and the northbound lanes were temporarily closed on the busy stretch.

Hot chocolate

Police were not able to confirm the cause of the inferno, though they suspected a technical defect with the vehicle.

Cocoa beans in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo is a large producer of cocoa beans. Here they are seen in the hands of company boss Adèle GwetImage: DW/J. Raupp

Authorities estimated the blaze could be responsible for hundreds of thousands of euros in damage. Several sound insulation walls were severely affected in the immediate vicinity of where the fire broke out.

jsi/ng (AP, dpa)

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