Explosion of a factory in Germany: a chemical reaction probably involved

The explosion at a waste treatment plant in Germany in July, which killed seven people, was likely caused by a chemical reaction inside a waste storage tank, local authorities said on Monday, citing an interim report.

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This explosion had also left 31 injured, while the detonation was heard up to forty kilometers around and caused a huge plume of black smoke. It occurred on July 27 in the industrial area of ​​the Chempark of Leverkusen (North Rhine-Westphalia), which hosts many chemical factories. Tanks containing chlorinated solvents had caught fire in the Currenta company's waste treatment center. A

quantity

of particles then fell into the surroundings after the blast.

The provisional findings, presented by the Cologne district government, suggest that a chemical reaction

caused the waste liquid in storage tank number 3 to self-heat and quickly heat up, resulting in a increase in pressure that the tank could not withstand.

, indicates the provisional report, quoted by the authorities.

Currenta said in a statement that the initial findings matched his own investigations.

Investigation "against X"

The Cologne district government said it was awaiting further analysis from experts before being able to draw definitive conclusions on the cause of the explosion.

The prosecutor's office and the Cologne police had opened an investigation

on

.

All of the victims worked at the chemical site.

Headquarters of the chemicals giant Bayer, Leverkusen has a little over 160,000 inhabitants and is located about twenty kilometers from Cologne.

The Evonik and Lanxess groups also have factories there.