The emergency numbers 112 and 110 were temporarily unavailable on Wednesday. The reason was a nationwide disruption in the Deutsche Telekom network. Calls from the mobile network to the fixed network were affected, as the company announced in Bonn. Thus, cell phone calls were not received at some control centers of the police and fire brigade. After about 40 minutes, the malfunction was resolved. The cause was initially unclear.
Between noon and 1 p.m. the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) received numerous warning messages from various federal states. In addition to the Nina warning app, many cities and authorities also informed citizens via social media: “The emergency number 112 for fire brigade and rescue services is currently disturbed in the # Munich area,” wrote the Bavarian capital’s fire brigade on Twitter.
“Calls cannot be accepted. All citizens in emergency situations are asked to make further attempts to call,” said the Erding district office. The emergency call from the cellular network is only possible to a limited extent in the Paderborn district, the district reported on Twitter. According to Telekom, the emergency numbers could always be reached from the landline network. In principle, citizens should dial the number of the local police or fire department if their emergency numbers fail, advised a BBK spokeswoman.
(axk)
