Manheim
Fire brigade expects long deployment after chemical accident
The fire brigade cools a container filled with 200 barrels of hydrosulfite after a chemical accident. photo
© Dieter Leder/dpa
According to the city of Mannheim, the situation is now stable. But the chemical accident in the port will keep the fire brigade busy for some time.
After the chemical accident in the port, the Mannheim fire brigade still does not expect the complicated operation to end quickly. It will take a few more hours, “if not days,” said a fire department spokesman on Thursday morning.
According to the fire brigade, no hazardous substances are escaping, according to the city of Mannheim on Wednesday evening, the situation is stable. The defective sea container is further cooled to control the dangerous reaction inside.
A chemical accident was triggered on Tuesday by spontaneous combustion of a substance in the overseas container. 17 people were injured.
According to BASF Ludwigshafen, the leaked chemical is a slightly reactive, very old bleaching agent for textiles. Around 220 barrels with 22 tons of hydrosulfite are stored in the container intended for Turkey. During its self-decomposition, sulfur dioxide and other sulfur salts are released.