1 killed, 4 missing in German chemical blast; 31 injured
BERLIN (AP) — An explosion at an industrial park for chemical companies in Germany killed at least one person Tuesday, with 31 others injured and four missing. 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 the city of 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 measurements of the air's pollution “do not show any kind of abnormality.” They said the smoke had gone down but that they would continue to measure the air for toxins.
The city of Leverkusen said in a statement that the explosion occurred in storage tanks for solvents. Police said Tuesday afternoon that 31 people were injured, with five of them in intensive care. They didn't give any details on their identities, the age of the dead person and the injured people because not all family members had been informed yet.
“We are deeply concerned about this tragic accident and the death of our employee,” the head of Chempark, Lars Friedrich, told reporters in Leverkusen. “We are doing everything to get this situation under control as quickly as possible — we know that the people of Leverkusen are very concerned.”
City officials asked all residents to stay inside until the late afternoon and warned people from outside of Leverkusen to avoid the region. City officials later also warned people not to let children play outside, use...
