Explosion Rocks German Chemical Plant

An explosion has occured at a German chemical company BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany on Monday killing two people, injuring six others and leaving two more missing.

According to a report by chinese news portal Xinhua, the explosion took place around 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT) while work was being carried out on a pipeline route, with which preliminary products of ships were transported to actual production sites. The blast resulted in a fire. However, the exact cause remains unknown as investigation is still underway.

All the roads leading to the Gate 15, the northern entrance into the plant, which is not far from where the explosion occurred, remain blocked and are guarded by police officers. Meanwhile, the fire off the south side of Rhein River can still be seen.

The firefighting continues as the fire will be burned out under controlled conditions, according to the company.

BASF said it has stopped its central production facilities. The so-called steam cracker had been turned off for safety reasons.