Two dead and 31 injured after explosion at German chemical site

A dark cloud of smoke rises into the air in Leverkusen, Germany. Credit: AP

Two people have died, at least 31 are injured and five others are missing following an explosion at a German industrial park for chemical companies.

The blast in Leverkusen had been declared an "extreme threat" after sending a large black cloud rising into the air.

Police said five of the 31 injured people were affected seriously enough to need intensive care.Emergency services took three hours to extinguish the fire at the Chempark site, home to chemicals companies Bayer and Lanxess, which flared up after the explosion at 9.40am.It had prompted police to urge nearby residents to remain in their homes and keep windows and doors shut.

A police officer blocks an access road to the Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Credit: Oliver Berg/AP

Chempark chief Lars Friedrich said: "My thoughts are with the injured and with loved ones.

"We are still searching for the missing people, but hopes of finding them alive are fading."

"This is a tragic moment for the city of Leverkusen," said Uwe Richrath, mayor of the city.

Operators of the site in Leverkusen, about 13 miles north of Cologne on the Rhine river, said the cause of the explosion was unclear.

Mr Friedrich added: "Solvents were burned during the incident, and we do not know precisely what substances were released. We are examining this with authorities, taking samples."Currenta, the company operating the chemical park, said in a statement several employees were injured, at least two of them severely, and five people remain missing.

Germany’s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance classified the explosion as "an extreme threat" and asked residents to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed, German news agency dpa reported.

A large number of police, firefighters, helicopters and ambulances had been deployed to the scene.

The Cologne fire department tweeted that measurements of the air's pollution "do not show any kind of abnormality".

A dark cloud of smoke rises into the air in Leverkusen, Germany Credit: Mirko Wolf/dpa via AP

Daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger reported the explosion took place in the Buerrig neighbourhood at a rubbish incineration plant of the chemical park.

The paper reported the smoke cloud was moving in a north-western direction toward the towns of Burscheid and Leichlingen.

Leverkusen has about 163,000 residents and borders Cologne, which is Germany's fourth biggest city and has around one million people living there. Many residents work at Bayer, which is one of the biggest employers in the region.

The chemical park is located very close to the banks of the Rhine river.