German chemical park blast called big threat
One dead, 16 hurt after the Leverkusen explosion
July 27: One person died and 16 people were injured Tuesday following an explosion at a chemical park in Leverkusen, Germany, the site operator said as residents were urged to stay indoors because of black smoke rising from the area. The blast happened at around 09:40 am (0740 GMT) “for still unknown reasons”, Chempark operator Currenta said.
At least two of the injured were in a serious condition, and four workers were missing, it added.
The explosion prompted Germany’s NINA warning app to send an “extreme danger” alert to residents, telling them to close their doors and windows and keep emergency numbers free as much as possible.
Currenta said the incident occurred at Chempark’s landfill and waste incineration area in Leverkusen’s Buerrig district. The area is separate from the main industrial park that houses numerous chemical companies, including Bayer, Lanxess and Evonik Industries. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and the death of an employee,” Currenta said, adding that “rescue efforts
continue at full speed” to find the four missing employees.
The city of Leverkusen said on Facebook that the blast triggered a fire at a solvent storage tank that took several hours to put
out, with firefighters from nearby Cologne called in to help with the efforts.
Large numbers of police, firefighters and rescue crews were deployed to the scene, as well as pollution detection experts amid
concerns that the smoke coming from the site could pose a health risk.
Police in Cologne tweeted that they had closed several motorways in the area because of “major damage”. —