Mysterious tunnel collapse killed a 29-year-old man from Stein

The man who was found dead on Friday in a collapsed self-dug tunnel in a nature reserve near Heerlen is a 29-year-old man from Stein, the police announced on Saturday. According to a police spokesperson, it is still not clear why exactly the man intended to excavate the tunnel in a forest on the Palemiger border.

"The man's motive is not yet known," said the spokesperson. The emergency services began digging out the meter-long tunnel on Friday when a bicycle and some items such as clothing and a lunch box were found nearby.

After an hour of digging, the man's remains were found. The police believe it was a fatal accident.

Local residents say in regional media that the man had been digging in a steep slope in the forest for several weeks. But these local residents also say they do not know why he was doing it.