Magnet fishers discover 45 open safes in German canal

October 18, 2017

Divers discovered a collection of 45 open safes submerged in a canal in the west German city of Gelsenkirchen, police announced on Tuesday.

Police said they presumed that the safes had been dumped by thieves. The safes had been under a bridge for at least several weeks and showed signs of being broken into.

Some of the safes still contained documents, which investigators hope will reveal more about their origins.

Read more: German police smash burglary ring responsible for one fifth of break-ins

Members of the public had discovered small safes under a bridge over the Rhine-Herne canal a week ago and alerted police. Police then commissioned divers from the Water and Shipping Department to search the bottom of the canal.

The 46-kilometer (28-mile) canal was built in the early 1900s and links the Port of Duisberg on the Rhine, to the Dortmund–Ems Canal which feeds into the sea port of Emden and the inland port of the city of Dortmund.

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Investigators said they were hoping to speak to anybody who may have witnessed unusual behavior at the site in recent weeks.

Regional daily Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (German language) reported that the safes were initially found by people who were fishing with strong magnets to find scrap metal.

The paper said the canal had yielded clues to a litany of previous crimes, including other safes, stolen scooters and weapons.

aw/rc (dpa, AFP)

Bank robbery tunnel thwarted by police

600 meters of digging

A criminal gang dug a 600-meter (2000-foot) tunnel in an attempt to rob 1 billion reais ($318 million, €270 million) from a bank. They were thwarted by police shortly before completing the heist.

Bank robbery tunnel thwarted by police

Rental home

The tunnel entrance was in a nook in a rental house. The 16 participants pooled their money to pay for the tunnel, reaching about $1.27 million, police alleged.

Bank robbery tunnel thwarted by police

The descent

The tunnel was accessed through a 2 meter-deep ladder. The tunnel itself was about 1.5 meters high, was reinforced with iron beams and wood and lined with plastic, and was even wired with lights.

Bank robbery tunnel thwarted by police

Fully stocked

The rental house was filled with food, water, special clothing and digging tools. The gang had spent four months digging the tunnel.