According to the Cologne police, several people were injured in an explosion in Chempark Leverkusen on Tuesday morning. As the operating company Currenta announced at noon, five employees were still missing in the waste incineration plant after the accident. According to the city of Leverkusen, four seriously injured and twelve injured were rescued.
At around 9.40 a.m., a fire broke out as a result of the explosion in the tank farm of the disposal center in the Bürrig district, Currenta said. Videos on the internet show a huge column of black smoke. According to Currenta, the fire was extinguished around noon. The rescue workers continue to search for the missing.
The cause of the explosion is said still unknown, Plant fire brigade and air test van are in use. According to the fire brigade, the first air measurements by the environmental protection units in the north of Cologne showed around noon that there is currently no danger to the population. The measurements would continue. Nonetheless, drivers were asked to keep the vehicle windows closed and to turn off the ventilation.
The population is called upon to keep their doors and windows closed.
(Photo: ANNA FROSS / ANNA FROSS via REUTERS)
The authorities called on the warning app “Nina” to keep doors and windows closed in the area and to turn off air conditioning. One shouldn’t be in the open air. In the case of Nina, the event was classified as “Extreme Danger”. According to the city, the police blocked the A 1 autobahn between the Leverkusen junction and the Köln-Niehl exit, the A 3 between Langenfeld and Leverkusen junction, and the A 59 between the Monheim-Süd junction and the Leverkusen-West junction, in both directions .
Five employees are still missing in the Chempark after the explosion.
(Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa)
At the same time, the police asked to drive around the area extensively. “We need all escape routes on site,” she wrote on Twitter. “Keep the streets free for the emergency services.” The extent of the damage is still unclear. The situation is “confusing”; one is on site with a lot of resources and clarifies the situation.
The Currenta company operates the so-called Chempark in Leverkusen, which also has locations in Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. It once belonged to the Leverkusen-based chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer.