‘Extreme threat’ alert after explosion at German chemical park sends huge toxic cloud across city
‘Extreme threat’ alert after explosion at German chemical plant sends huge toxic cloud across city
- Several employees have been injured and five are missing following the blast
- Explosion hit the Chempark site in Leverkusen at around 9:40am on Tuesday
- Park operator said blast happened at an area where waste was incinerated
- Video shows an enormous cloud of black smoke rising above the city
- Federal authorities asked residents to stay inside and keep windows closed
- Firefighters and pollution detection vans have been deployed to the scene
An explosion at a chemical park shook the western German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday, injuring several employees and sending a large black cloud rising into the sky.
The explosion happened at around 9:40a.m. local time on Tuesday in a part of the site where waste is incinerated, a statement from the operators of the Chempark site said, adding that it was followed by a fire.
Several employees were injured in the blast, at least two of them seriously, and five employees are currently missing, the statement from Currenta said.
Germany’s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance classified the explosion as ‘an extreme threat’ and asked residents to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed, German news agency dpa reported.
Currenta said sirens and a ‘warning app’ had been triggered to ‘warn the population’.
Firefighters and pollution detection vans had been deployed to the site and the injured have been taken to hospital, the company said.
The company said it is in the process of preparing a press conference on the incident.
An explosion at a chemical park shook the German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday, sending a large black cloud rising into the air
The explosion happened in a part of the site where waste is incinerated, a spokesperson for Currenta – the operators of the Chempark site in Leverkusen, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) north of Cologne on the Rhine river – told Reuters news agency
Chempark, an industrial park for chemicals companies including Bayer and Lanxess, said on Twitter that it was not yet clear what caused the explosion.
Police said that it was not yet clear how much damage was caused and that a large number of emergency staff were on site. Several nearby motorways have also been closed.
Videos and images shared on social media showed an enormous plume of smoke towering above the plant.
Residents said the blast could be heard from some distance, with some reporting that the force of the explosion had rattled their windows, DW reported.
More than 30 companies operate at the Chempark site in Leverkusen, including Covestro, Bayer, Lanxess and Arlanxeo, according to its website.
The site lies about 20 kilometers (13 miles) north of Cologne on the Rhine river.
Currenta said a hotline has been set up for local residents: Leverkusen 0214-2605 99333.
Videos and images shared on social media showed an enormous plume of smoke towering above the plant
Firefighters and pollution detection vans have been deployed to the site, where more than 30 companies operate
Police said that it was not yet clear how much damage was caused and that a large number of emergency staff were on site. Several nearby motorways have also been closed
