- There was an incident at the chemical company CABB on Friday evening in the Schweizerhalle industrial area near Pratteln BL. The substance acetyl chloride escaped there.
- The canton of Basel-Landschaft gave the all-clear on Saturday morning. There is no danger to the population. The material leakage was located and brought under control.
- Throughout the night in Basel and neighboring communities, the police called for windows and doors to be closed and ventilation and air conditioning systems to be turned off. It was also advised not to exercise outdoors.
- The company CABB confirmed that fumes had emanated from the company. An alarm was automatically triggered at 9 p.m. on Friday evening.
- Around 200 police and fire departments were on site.
The situation in the chemical company’s factory area has calmed down, as the authorities announced early Saturday morning. The behavioral recommendations for the population have been lifted. There was no fire and there were no injuries. The warning was issued as a precautionary measure.
The authorities warn against substances
When asked, a spokesman for the Basel-Landschaft cantonal police said late on Friday evening that a cloud had been detected. Reports of odor nuisance have been reported from several communities. The police continued, including from the municipality of Binningen.
The exact cause of the incident is still unclear and is being investigated by specialists from the Basel-Landschaft police. On-site measurements never showed elevated values outside the work area.
“Shortly before 9 p.m., an alarm was automatically triggered in a production building because a substance had leaked,” said Julian Stäuble, CABB media spokesman, confirming the accident. “But we don’t know what material it is – also because materials from several production plants pass through this building,” Stäuble continued.
The authorities have set up a hotline for concerns about the incident: 0800 800 112.