DThe explosion can still be heard from miles away, and the subsequent rising smoke can be seen from other cities: the chemical park in Leverkusen exploded on Tuesday morning-the reason was “previously unknown”, just as the chemical park operates As originally announced by Currenta. According to Currenta, the explosion did not occur in the core area of the chemical park, but in the landfill and waste incineration area. After the explosion, an oil depot caught fire. At noon, the fire was extinguished.
A total of 16 people were injured in the accident, of which two were seriously injured. Initially, the city said that four people were seriously injured. The operator of the chemical park announced in the afternoon that one missing employee had been found dead, and the whereabouts of four others were unknown. Lars Friedrich, manager of the chemical park, said: “We are deeply affected by this tragic accident and the death of an employee. We are doing everything we can to control the situation. We are still facing a dangerous situation,” Friedrich said. At the press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
At the hazardous waste incineration plant, three storage tanks containing waste produced by customers in the chemical park exploded. The solvent burns and announces the operator of the chemical park. After the explosion, a cloud of white and then black mushrooms rose, and the wind moved the plume of smoke in the direction of Belges. “We currently do not have an accurate analysis of the cloud. We have to ask for patience, which is why we did not withdraw the warning,” Friedrich said.
This Firemen It is recommended that residents close doors and windows and enter the building due to smoke. The nearby cities Wermelskirchen, Burscheid and Leichlingen also issued warning messages about smoke through the NINA app-residents of Solingen were also told that there may be odor pollution. In some areas of Leverkusen, playgrounds are now being closed as a precaution. Residents who have fruit in the garden should clean it before eating.
“A tragic day in Leverkusen”
“This is a tragic day for Leverkusen,” said Uwe Richlas (SPD), the mayor of Leverkusen. This city is closely related to the chemical industry. Almost every family has people who have worked or have worked in the chemical park. According to Currenta, the area of hazardous waste facilities, landfills and public sewage treatment plants averages about 50 to 60 employees per day.
This area is located north of the Leverkusen highway intersection, where the A1, A59 and A3 highways intersect. The actual chemical park is located south of the highway. After the explosion, the police initially blocked the A1 in both directions, and traffic jams also occurred on other highways on Tuesday.
Since the explosion also damaged a power line, Currenta also believes that the power supply in the chemical park is not safe for a short period of time. Friedrich said: “We have allowed our customers to reduce production, thereby reducing power consumption.” The chemical park’s customers include pharmaceutical and agrochemical company Bayer and specialty chemicals company LANXESS. Therefore, employees in the administrative area are sent home so that there will be no more chaos on the scene in the event of a power outage. Friedrich said: “Due to the incident, the scene was not evacuated, but because of the power supply.”
After the cause of the accident was investigated, it was opened to the outside world at the beginning. The main focus of the factory’s fire brigade is currently searching for missing persons. Only then can the tank be inspected.
