One person was killed in the morning’s severe explosion in the Chempark in Leverkusen. Several people were injured; there are missing people.
Leverkusen – After the severe explosion in the Chempark in Leverkusen, a missing employee was found dead. The operating company Currenta announced on Tuesday afternoon. 16 people were injured.
According to the company, the explosion had occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the tank farm of the Bürrig disposal center for an unknown reason. Then there was a fire in the tank farm, which was extinguished around noon.
According to information from Chempark manager Lars Friedrich at a hastily arranged press conference, the risk situation still exists. The hours are difficult and many residents are afraid. Two of the injured at the tank farm of the Bürrig disposal center were seriously injured, four people were still missing. “We are still looking.” The thoughts are mainly with the relatives of the deceased.
According to the city of Leverkusen, four seriously injured and twelve injured were rescued. The identity of the death victim has not yet been conclusively clarified, as Friedrich told journalists. Among the 16 injured, one person was “real danger to life”. The person concerned was brought to a Cologne clinic with severe burn injuries.
Residents of the chemical plant were asked to go to closed rooms and to keep windows and doors closed. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance assigned the event to the “Extreme Danger” warning level.
It is not yet clear whether toxic substances were released in the fire. The analysis is still running, said Friedrich. Therefore, he does not rule out anything. The warning situation has not yet been completely withdrawn. The people in the area around the Chempark should continue to be called to caution.
Friedrich confirmed that a tank with solvents was on fire. Extinguishing water did not leave the premises. It was caught. He couldn’t say anything about the cause of the explosion because the rescue operation was still ongoing, said Friedrich.
Playgrounds in the districts of Bürrig and Opladen have been closed as a precaution. The city announced on its website that the situation is not expected to escalate. According to the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV), it is not yet possible to assess whether relevant substances can be found in the precipitation. Nevertheless, the playgrounds in Bürrig and Opladen have been closed “temporarily as a precautionary measure until further notice”.
For the time being, residents in the Bürrig and Opladen districts should not eat vegetables or fruit from the 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, the city said. “Against this background, the health department of the City of Leverkusen points out that residents of the Bürrig and Opladen districts should not consume food from the garden as a precaution and should also wear gloves as a precaution when working in the garden that cannot be postponed.”
In the event that residues and soot deposits are found on the properties and roads, people can contact a telephone hotline (0214 406-33333).
The shock of the severe explosion could still be felt many kilometers away. Several stations of the Geological Service North Rhine-Westphalia measured the explosion, said a seismologist. Among other things, it was also registered at a station in the Hespertal, around 40 kilometers north of Leverkusen. dpa
