A devastating explosion occurs in a tank farm in the Chempark in Leverkusen. The sad result: at least two dead, several missing and many injured.
Leverkusen – At least two people were killed in a devastating explosion in a waste incineration plant in Chempark Leverkusen. Several employees were still missing on Tuesday evening.
“The search for the missing is still going on at full speed. Unfortunately, the hope of finding them alive is dwindling, ”said Chempark manager Lars Friedrich according to the announcement. The number of injuries was given by the operator as by the police as 31.
How many people are still being sought after the accident was initially not exactly clear. The operator’s message from the evening said: “Five employees are still missing, the search for them is still going on at high pressure.”
Hope to find missing people still alive
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and the death of an employee. Our special condolences go out particularly to the relatives, but also to the colleagues who have worked with him, ”said Chempark manager Friedrich. It was difficult hours, many residents were afraid, reported Friedrich at a hastily arranged press conference in the afternoon. One has hope of finding the missing people still alive.
Leverkusen’s Mayor Uwe Richrath (SPD) spoke of a “tragic day” for the city with its more than 167,000 inhabitants, which is closely related to chemistry. He himself felt the shock.
The incident also worried the residents of the Rhineland so much because within a few weeks they had to look anxiously again at the warning messages from the authorities. The flood disaster had recently been experienced – in Leverkusen, for example, a clinic had to be evacuated from time to time. Now another danger, again from heaven.
Explosion could be heard ten kilometers away
According to the operator, the huge explosion, which according to witnesses could still be heard within a radius of ten kilometers, occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the tank farm of the Bürrig disposal center. The cause was initially unclear. A huge cloud of smoke rose. The shock was so violent that even several stations of the Geological Service of North Rhine-Westphalia were able to measure it. Among other things, it was registered at a station in the Hespertal – around 40 kilometers away.
After the explosion, the tank farm burned with solvents for hours before the fire was under control and largely extinguished by noon. “The extinguishing work had to wait until a power line was disconnected from the grid,” said the city. Even the fire brigade in Dortmund, around 60 kilometers away, warned of possible odor nuisance.
As a precaution, residents were asked to go to closed rooms and to keep windows and doors closed. It was only in the afternoon that Leverkusen lifted the warning for most parts of the city – it only continued to apply in the particularly affected district of Bürrig. The city also temporarily closed nearby playgrounds. Because of the possible pollutant emissions, residents were also warned against consuming fruit and vegetables from their own garden. According to the State Environment Agency (LANUV), it is not yet possible to assess whether “relevant substances” can be found in the precipitation after the fire.
No danger to the population
Numerous emergency services from the plant fire brigade, the police and air test vehicles were involved in the accident. According to the fire brigade, the first air measurements by the environmental protection units in the north of Cologne showed that there was no danger to the population. The measurements would continue. Nevertheless, drivers in the region were initially asked to keep their vehicle windows closed.
Because of the “major damage situation”, numerous motorways were temporarily closed. The motorway junction Leverkusen-West, the A1 between the motorway junction Leverkusen and Cologne-Nord, the A3 between the motorway junction Leverkusen and the motorway triangle Langenfeld and the A59 between the motorway junction Monheim-Süd and the motorway junction Leverkusen-West, like the relevant motorway, were affected by the full closure GmbH announced. Work on the immediately adjacent construction site of the Leverkusen Rhine Bridge was also stopped immediately. Even the Rhine ferry “Fritz Middelanis” ceased operations between Cologne-Langel and Leverkusen-Hitdorf for several hours.
According to the company, the Chempark is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. Over 70 companies are located at the three locations in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. dpa
