Serious accident in Ernstbrunn: 21-year-old dies in grain box!

Serious accident in Ernstbrunn: 21-year-old dies in grain box!

On November 13, 2025, a tragic industrial accident occurred at a mill in Ernstbrunn, Lower Austria, affecting two Romanian workers. The 21-year-old sank completely into a grain box, while the 37-year-old sank up to his neck area. Both workers were trying to clear a blockage in the hopper of a grain silo when the incident occurred, the news reports Fireworld

The third colleague who observed the incident immediately alerted the emergency services. These were supported by the Ernstbrunn Volunteer Fire Department, the police and the Red Cross. While the fire department was on duty with three vehicles and over 20 emergency services, the 37-year-old received help relatively quickly and was taken to the Mistelbach State Hospital with minor injuries.

Investigations and psychological support for the emergency services

Rescuing the 21-year-old proved to be extremely challenging. The worker was freed under considerable physical strain and with the help of poles and spineboards, but the emergency doctor could only determine that he was dead. Resuscitation measures were initiated outdoors but were unsuccessful. The Ernstbrunn police then began investigations into the accident, and the labor inspectorate was also involved in the investigation.

The emergency services received psychological support after their deployment in order to deal with the emotional consequences of the tragic incident. This type of accident sheds light on the risks in the work environment, as also listed in the statistics of the [BAuA](https://www.baua.de/DE/Themen/Monitoring-Evaluation/ Zahlen-Daten-Fakten/Toedliche-Arbeitsunfaelle), which deals with fatal accidents at work.

Fatal accidents at work in Germany

Many fatal accidents at work are registered in Germany every year. The BAuA has been listing these since 1978 and records comprehensive data about the events. There are a total of 1,549 accident reports for the period 2014 to 2024, while the professional associations report 4,458 accidents. This is because there is no legal obligation to report to the BAuA, which leads to discrepancies between the statistics.

The dangers are not only present in the construction industry: almost 40 percent of the reported fatal work accidents occurred on construction sites, involving over 140 construction vehicles. The BAuA continues to investigate the most common causes of accidents and regularly publishes reports on the most dangerous activities and work equipment.