2 Boy Scouts Die When Tug-Of-War Rope Snaps

Two Boy Scouts died after a rope snapped during a giant tug-of-war by 650 people who were trying to win a place in the Guinness Book of Records, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The thumb-thick nylon rope broke and whipped back during the contest on Sunday, hitting a 9-year-old Boy Scout so hard he died.

At least 24 others were injured, five seriously, by being crushed or hitting the ground hard as the tension on the rope broke. One of the injured, a 10-year-old boy from Koblenz, died Tuesday.

The tug-of-war was being held during a Boy Scout outing at Westernohe, near Koblenz in western Germany.

Prosecutor Norbert Weise said his office was investigating to determine whether the organizers should be prosecuted for negligence.