Several injured, some missing after explosion at BASF German chemical plant
(Reuters) At least two people died and six were severely injured Monday in an explosion and fire at chemicals maker BASF's biggest production site in Germany, the company said.
BASF said the two people who died were both members of the site's own fire brigade.
One person is still missing following the blast and is believed to be in the water. Six of the 25 people injured are still in intensive care, Ludwigshafen city official Dieter Feid said at the news conference.
The explosion occurred on a supply line connecting a harbor and a tank depot on the Ludwigshafen site at around 1120 local time (0920 GMT), according to BASF. The harbor at which the explosion occurred is a terminal for combustible fluids such as naphtha and methanol that are important for BASF's supply of raw materials.
A fire that broke out following the blast sent up plumes of smoke for hours, prompting BASF and the city of Ludwigshafen to urge residents in the surrounding area to avoid going outside and to keep their windows and doors shut.
Measurements taken in the area so far have indicated no risk from toxic fumes, BASF said.
"We deeply regret that employees died and several people were injured. Our sympathy is with the affected people and their families," the Ludwigshafen site's chief, Uwe Liebelt, said in a statement.
The company said it was unclear so far what caused the explosion. BASF also said it could not say what financial impact the explosion might have.
The fire forced BASF to shut down more than 20 facilities, including its two steam crackers which produce the basic hydrocarbon chemicals used to produce a wide range of plastics and other chemicals.
The Ludwigshafen site, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Frankfurt, is the world's largest chemical complex, covering an area of 10 square kilometres (four square miles) and employing 39,000 workers, according to BASF. It is located on the Rhine river and receives many of its raw materials by ship.
BASF management board member Margret Suckale said the company was facing "big challenges" in supplying its customers after the blast cut off the supply of raw materials, but said its main concern was for the deceased, the injured and their families for the moment.
She said she could not yet say what the financial damage of the explosion would be, but said it would take some time to start up the steam crackers again once the area had been cleared.
News of the explosion came less than two hours after BASF said four people were injured in a gas explosion at its Lampertheim facility, a plant near Ludwigshafen that makes additives for plastics.
Reporting by Jans Hack, Maria Sheahan, and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Larry King, Jane Merriman and Greg Mahlich
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