After the explosion in a waste incineration plant in Leverkusen, the search for the missing continues. As on the previous evening, five people were still missing in Chempark, said a spokesman for the German Press Agency early on Wednesday morning. The post-extinguishing work also continued. “There is no new development.” According to Chempark manager Lars Friedrich, at least two people died on Tuesday evening in the accident the previous day. The number of injured was therefore 31. Of these, one person was reportedly in mortal danger. More recent information about the injured was initially not available on Wednesday morning.
The hope of finding the missing person alive was diminishing, Friedrich had said that evening. A spokesman for the Chempark made a similar statement on Wednesday morning. With increasing duration and also increasing approach of the emergency services to the source of the fire, the probability of finding survivors decreases. "It was a violent detonation that led to a great deal of damage," explained the spokesman. Foam was also used to extinguish the fire. Therefore this area is confusing. This also complicates the search for the missing. Firefighters are still on site. The mission continues.
The huge explosion, which, according to witness reports, could be heard within a radius of many kilometers, occurred in the tank farm of the Bürrig disposal center. The cause of the explosion was initially unclear. The company anticipated that it could take some time before the first insights are available. According to the company, the Chempark is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. More than 70 companies are located at the three locations in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen.