What happened in the Chempark in Leverkusen at the end of July and who is responsible for the explosion in which seven people lost their lives?
Cologne – After the severe explosion in the Chempark in Leverkusen on July 27, an investigation is now underway against three employees.
It is about the initial suspicion of negligent homicide and negligent causing of an explosive, said a spokeswoman for the Cologne public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday. The apartments of the three accused and one other employee were searched on Tuesday. Data carriers, cell phones and written documents were secured.
The three accused are suspected of having violated their duties of care in connection with the storage and treatment of the waste. Seven people were killed in the explosion in a hazardous waste incinerator. 31 suffered some serious injuries.
In connection with the investigation, the police visited the business and operating rooms of the operator Currenta on Tuesday. The company then voluntarily released the documents required by the investigating authorities.
According to the information, there is a suspicion that the waste stored in a tank was stored above the permissible self-heating temperature. According to a preliminary assessment by an expert, this could have led to warming, which led to an exponential increase in temperature and pressure. As a result, the tank finally exploded. As a result of the explosion, residual waste liquids and heating oil previously discharged into the tank might have mixed with air. This ultimately led to the fire. dpa
