News

One Dead, Four Missing After Massive Chemical Site Explosion

The blast was felt throughout the German city of Leverkusen, home to one of the largest chemical manufacturers in the country.
Emergency services at the site of a chemical explosion in Leverkusen.
Emergency services at the site of a chemical site explosion in Leverkusen. 

One person is dead and four missing after an explosion at an industrial park shook the western German city of Leverkusen Tuesday, releasing a huge cloud of black smoke into the air.

The site’s manager, Lars Friedrich, said a rescue team had recovered the body of one of the missing workers.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and the death of an employee,” he said in a statement. “Our special condolences go out particularly to the relatives, but also to the colleagues who have worked with him.”

Advertisement

Four others remained unaccounted for, while 31 people had been injured by the blast, at least two of them seriously.

“We hope that we can rescue the missing people alive,” Friedrich said at a press conference in Leverkusen.

Germany’s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance designated the explosion, at the Chempark chemical park in Leverkusen, as “an extreme threat.” Officials instructed residents to stay inside with their windows closed, not to eat food from their gardens in the coming days, and urged outsiders to keep away from the city.

The fire department in the nearby city of Cologne, about 20 kilometres south, later tweeted that air samples did not indicate heightened levels of pollution, although they would continue to measure the air for toxins.

“This is a tragic moment for the city of Leverkusen,” said the city's mayor, Uwe Richrath.

Chempark is used by more than 30 chemical companies, including Bayer, one of Germany's largest chemical manufacturers, which is headquartered in Leverkusen.

The operator of the site, Currenta, said in a statement that the blast happened at about 9:40AM local time, and was followed by a fire in the site’s tank farm.

Police in Cologne said they had closed several motorways due to the blast. A large number of police, firefighters, helicopters and ambulances were deployed to the site, and the fire was eventually put out about four hours after the blast.

German broadcaster WDR reported that the blast was felt throughout Leverkusen and could be heard about 20 kilometres away.