16 injured, 5 lacking in explosion at German chemical hub

An explosion at an industrial park for chemical corporations shook the German metropolis of Leverkusen on Tuesday, sending a big black cloud rising into the air. At least 16 folks have been injured and 5 stay lacking.
Germany’s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance categorised the explosion as “an extreme threat” and requested residents to remain inside, flip off air flow programs and maintain home windows and doorways closed, German information company dpa reported.
Later on Tuesday, nevertheless, the Cologne hearth division tweeted that measurements of the air’s air pollution “do not show any kind of abnormality.” They stated the smoke had gone down however that they might proceed to measure the air for toxins.
Emergency autos of the fireplace brigade, rescue providers and police stand not removed from an entry street to the Chempark over which a darkish cloud of smoke is rising in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (AP)
The metropolis of Leverkusen stated in a press release that the explosion on the Chempark web site, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) north of Cologne on the Rhine river, occurred in storage tanks for solvents. It stated 4 folks have been severely injured and 12 much less severely. Five persons are lacking.
Currenta, the corporate working the chemical park, stated the explosion occurred at 9:40 a.m. on the storage tanks of their waste administration middle after which developed into a hearth.
“Sirens were operated to warn residents and warning alerts were sent,” Currenta stated within the assertion.
Police in close by Cologne stated a lot of officers, firefighters, helicopters and ambulances from throughout the area had been deployed to the scene. They requested all residents to remain inside and warned folks from outdoors of Leverkusen to keep away from the area.
They additionally shut down a number of close by main highways.

Daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger reported that the smoke cloud was shifting in a northwestern path towards the cities of Burscheid and Leichlingen.
Leverkusen is dwelling to Bayer, one in every of Germany’s greatest chemical corporations. It has about 163,000 residents and borders Cologne, which is Germany’s fourth greatest metropolis and has round 1 million inhabitants. Many residents work at Bayer, which is likely one of the greatest employers within the area.
The chemical park is positioned very near the banks of the Rhine river.
Currenta has three amenities within the area. More than 70 totally different corporations are primarily based on the areas in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen.