An explosion of unknown origin at a chemical company site in Leverkusen, western Germany, occurred on Tuesday, July 27.
Significant smoke was observed at the scene and residents of the area were asked to keep doors and windows closed, site officials said.
Read also: Barcelona: Chemical factory explosion kills at least 1
"
For a cause hitherto unknown, an explosion occurred in the Chempark Leverkusen
", according to a message posted on the Twitter account of this chemical company park, one of the largest in Europe in the sector. In a
press
release
(Editor's note: in German)
, the company indicates that "
several employees were injured in the event, at least two of them seriously
". Five others are missing.
A firefighter intervention is underway. The event was classified as "
extreme danger
" by the national disaster alert application Nina. According to several media, the explosion occurred at a waste treatment site. The Cologne police report "
significant damage
" on Twitter and indicated that several sections of the motorway had been closed.