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LEVERKUSEN

‘No hope’ for five missing after chemical blast in German city of Leverkusen

Five people still missing a day after a huge explosion at a German chemical park are unlikely to be found alive, the site operator said Wednesday, urging residents not to touch possibly toxic soot from the blast.

Published: 28 July 2021 16:50 CEST
'No hope' for five missing after chemical blast in German city of Leverkusen
Black smoke could be seen at the chemical park site in Leverkusen on Tuesday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Berg

Two people were already confirmed dead in the incident on Tuesday, which also injured 31 others.

“We have no hope of finding the missing alive,” said Frank Hyldmar, CEO of Chempark operator Currenta. “Our thoughts are with the families,” he added.

The cause of the Tuesday morning blast at Chempark’s waste incineration site in the western city of Leverkusen remains unknown, he told a press
conference.

The explosion, which was heard several kilometres away and rattled the windows of nearby homes, sent a cloud of black smoke into the air.

READ ALSO: ‘Dark day for Leverkusen’: Two dead and five missing after blast at chemical park in Germany

The blast also triggered a fire in storage tanks for solvents that took firefighters hours to put out.

Police closed several motorways in the area and residents were told to stay indoors and shut their windows over concerns dangerous gases may have been released.

The warning remained in place for most of Tuesday until city authorities said air pollution measurements had shown no abnormalities.

‘Toxic’

Experts are still probing whether soot particles that came down after the blast may be toxic, with a final report not expected for several days.

Currenta chief operating officer Hans Gennen told residents not to touch any residue they might come across and to contact the authorities so samples can be taken.

Locals have also been advised not to eat fruit or vegetables from theirgardens, and playgrounds in Leverkusen’s Bürrig and Opladen neighbourhoods temporarily closed.

“We will do everything we can to get to the bottom of this terrible event,” Currenta CEO Hyldmar said.

Four of the missing are Currenta employees, while the fifth works for an external company, he added. Of the 31 injured, one is in a serious condition.

All those affected worked at the chemical park.

The area where the blast happened, in Leverkusen’s Bürrig district, is a short distance away from Chempark’s main industrial park that houses numerous chemical companies including Bayer, Lanxess and Evonik Industries.

A report in Der Spiegel magazine said the blast was measured as far as 40 kilometres (25 miles) away.

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LEVERKUSEN

Chemical reaction likely to blame for deadly blast at German plant

An explosion that killed seven people at a hazardous waste site in Germany in July was likely caused by a chemical reaction inside a waste storage tank, local authorities said Monday, citing an interim report.

Published: 31 August 2021 09:07 CEST
Chemical reaction likely to blame for deadly blast at German plant
The site of the Chempark explosion on July 27th. Photo: dpa | Oliver Berg

The July 27 blast at the Chempark chemical complex in the western city of Leverkusen, which also injured 31 workers, was heard several kilometres away and rattled the windows of nearby homes.

It sent up a large cloud of black smoke that prompted authorities to urge locals to stay indoors, although later examinations showed no danger to residents’ health.

The interim findings, announced by the Cologne district government, suggest that a chemical reaction “probably” caused waste liquid in storage tank 3 to self-heat and rapidly become warmer, leading to a build-up of pressure it was unable to withstand.

“The whole process happened so quickly that the safety mechanisms were no longer able to dissipate the pressure. When the pressure exceeded the design pressure of the container, it exploded,” the interim report is quoted as saying.

The explosion then triggered a large blaze at the park’s waste storage and incineration site that took firefighters hours to put out.

Chempark operator Currenta said in a statement that the early findings match its own investigations.

The Cologne district government said it was awaiting further expert analysis before final conclusions could be made about the cause of the blast.

Prosecutors in Cologne have opened an investigation against unknown persons on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and causing an explosion through negligence.

All those killed and injured in the explosion worked at the chemical site.

The blast area, in Leverkusen’s Buerrig district, was separate from Chempark’s main industrial park that houses numerous companies including Bayer, Lanxess and Evonik Industries.

READ MORE: Death toll in German chemical blast climbs to six

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