One day after the severe explosion in the Leverkusen chemical park with at least two dead, the operating company has no hope of finding the five missing people alive. “We assume that we will no longer find them alive,” said Frank Hyldmar, Managing Director of Currenta, on Wednesday in Leverkusen. Meanwhile, the search for the missing went on. The cause of the accident remained unclear.
Four of the missing are employees of Currenta. One is an employee of an external company. One of the dead was also employed by an external company. “It cannot be put into words what the relatives go through,” said Labor Director Wolfgang Homey.
The head of the park, Lars Friedrich, also spoke of “dwindling” hope in a video published on Twitter on Wednesday. Security measures were taken overnight. Everything is currently being prepared so that the investigation into the cause of the accident can begin.
“We will do everything we can to clear up this terrible event”
It remained unclear how much the damage would be to Currenta after the explosion. The company promised to continue working with the authorities. “We will do all we can to clear up this terrible incident,” said Hyldmar.
At least two employees were killed on Tuesday morning in the explosion, which followed a major fire in Leverkusen. 31 others were injured, one seriously.
According to the plant management, the explosion occurred in the tank farm of the chemical park’s hazardous waste incineration plant, where production residues from the companies located there are collected and disposed of. Three tanks containing organic solvents caught fire. According to initial estimates by the operators, this contained 600,000 to 900,000 liters of solvent.
Unclear whether the rain is poisonous
Because of the accident, several highways in the vicinity of the chemical park were temporarily closed, and warnings were issued to the population because of the cloud of smoke. Citizens were called upon not to leave apartments and houses and to avoid the affected area.
It remained unclear whether the cloud of smoke and the precipitation falling from it contained toxic substances. The analyzes were running. There is currently no danger from the soot particles, said a spokesman for the city fire department on Wednesday. However, these should not be carried into living spaces. The spokesman recommended putting shoes on the doorstep. Fruit and vegetables from your own garden should be washed off as a precaution.
The North Rhine-Westphalian Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) expressed his condolences to the relatives on Wednesday in the interior committee of the state parliament. He was “in his thoughts with the relatives of the dead and the other victims”. He hoped that the missing would be found quickly. (AFP)