At least 2 killed in German chemical blast; 31 injured

Germany_Fire_34460 A dark cloud of smoke rises above the Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. After an explosion, fire brigade, rescue forces and police are currently in large-scale operation, the police explained.(Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Germany_Fire_03390 Emergency vehicles of the fire brigade, rescue services and police stand not far from an access road to the Chempark over which a dark cloud of smoke is rising in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021.. After an explosion, fire brigade, rescue services and police are currently in large-scale operation, the police explained. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Germany_Fire_13975 A police officer blocks an access road to the Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021 after an explosion in which the emergency services were in large-scale operation to tackle. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Germany_Fire_88393 A dark cloud of smoke rises above the Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. After an explosion, fire brigade, rescue forces and police are currently in large-scale operation, the police explained.(Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Germany_Fire_47591 Emergency vehicles of the fire brigade, rescue services and police stand not far from an access road to the Chempark over which a dark cloud of smoke is rising in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021.. After an explosion, fire brigade, rescue services and police are currently in large-scale operation, the police explained. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)
Germany_Fire_09752 A dark cloud of smoke rises above the chemical park in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Firefighters from the site fire department are on duty. (Mirko Wolf/dpa via AP)
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BERLIN (AP) — An explosion at an industrial park for chemical companies in Germany killed at least two people on Tuesday, with 31 others injured and several still missing hours later. Fire officials who tested the air said there did not appear to be a danger to nearby residents after authorities initially urged people to shelter inside.

The explosion at the waste management facility of the Chempark site in Leverkusen, near Cologne, sent a large black cloud into the air. It took firefighters almost four hours to extinguish the fire that took hold after the explosion.

Germany’s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance initially classified the incident as “an extreme threat.” Later on Tuesday, however, the Cologne fire department tweeted that pollution measurements “do not show any kind of abnormality.” They said the smoke had diminished but that they would continue to measure the air for toxins.

The city of Leverkusen said the explosion occurred in storage tanks for solvents.

Later Tuesday, Chempark operator Currenta said that a second fatality had been confirmed. It put the number of injured at 31 and said five employees were missing.

“Unfortunately hope of finding them alive is fading rapidly,” the head of Chempark, Lars Friedrich, said in a statement.

City officials asked all residents to stay inside until the late afternoon and warned people from outside Leverkusen to avoid the region. City officials later also warned people not to let children play outside, use outside pools or eat fruit and vegetables from their backyards in the coming days. They said experts would only be able to tell in a few days how toxic the soot from the explosion would be.

Currenta said the explosion happened at 9:40 a.m. and then developed into a fire. It said three big tanks were affected by the explosion, but that it was too early to know the cause.

“Sirens were operated to warn residents and warning alerts were sent,” Currenta said.

Police shut down several nearby major highways for several hours.

Leverkusen is home to Bayer, one of Germany’s biggest chemical companies. It has about 163,000 residents and borders Cologne, which is Germany’s fourth biggest city and has around 1 million inhabitants. Many residents work at Bayer, which is one of the biggest employers in the region.

The chemical park is located close to the banks of the Rhine river.

Currenta has three facilities in the region. More than 70 different companies are based at the locations in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen.

The mayor of Leverkusen, Uwe Richrath, called the blast “a tragic moment for Leverkusen.”

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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