NAfter the explosion in the Leverkusen Chemical Park, the operating company Currenta expects more deaths. Frank Hyldmar, Chairman of Currenta’s management committee, said at a news conference on Wednesday: “Unfortunately, we have to assume that we will not find the five missing persons alive.” Two people were found dead after the explosion on Tuesday and 31 employees were found in the accident. Injured, one of them was seriously injured. “Our hearts are with our family and loved ones,” Heidema said.
The four still missing are Currenta employees and one is employed by an external service provider. Among the two dead so far found One works for a chemical park operator. “We can only begin to assess the feelings of relatives who are still missing. This is also impossible to express in words,” said Wolfgang Homey, Currenta’s chief financial officer. “As a company, we will be very close to and take care of family members.”
At the hazardous waste incineration plant, three storage tanks containing waste produced by customers in the chemical park exploded. There is solvent in the tank.According to the Leverkusen-based company, someone was injured outside the chemical park Firemen Did not give.
“Entering the scene of the accident is risky”
The North Rhine-Westphalia Environment Agency assumes that “dioxins, PCBs and furan compounds” were brought into the surrounding residential areas through the smoke after the explosion. A spokesperson said on Wednesday that, according to information provided by the office, chlorinated solvents were also stored in the affected storage tanks. “Therefore, we currently assume that dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and furan compounds are brought to the surrounding residential areas through smoke,” it said. The concentration at which this actually happened is still under investigation. The investigation is quite complicated.
Currenta’s managing director said at a press conference that the national environment department has collected every sample of smoke and dust that falls in urban areas due to precipitation. “The analysis is still up in the air,” Heidmar said.
The company was unable to provide any information about the cause of the accident. The factory fire brigade and the Leverkusen fire brigade are still actively searching for the missing persons. For this, the fire brigade uses drones and so on. “Entering the scene of the accident is risky. We are investigating the cause of the accident, but it is too early to issue a statement,” Heidema said. Only when there is no longer any danger, the Cologne Interpol’s fire-fighting experts can start investigating the cause of the explosion.
Hermann Greven, head of the Leverkusen fire department, said: “This is also a task for experienced professional firefighters to take off their shoes.” The playground in the vicinity of Leverkusen remains closed. . The city also asked residents not to touch soot, not to leave any traces in the apartment through their shoes, and not to eat vegetables and fruits in the garden for the time being.
Currenta was also unable to issue a statement regarding system damage on Wednesday. Hans Gennen, a member of the board of directors responsible for operating the business, said: “So far, we can only evaluate from a distance, and I don’t want to speculate.” Chemical waste from about 70 customers in the chemical park, including pharmaceuticals Heagrochemical group Bayer, plastics group Covestro and specialty chemicals company LANXESS are currently disposing through disposal partners at other facilities in the Dormagen Chemical Park, Currenta said. “We are running an alternative treatment facility,” Gennen said.
