Berlin: Rescue Team in West Germany Looking for five lost workers on Wednesday in an industrial park for a chemical company a day after the explosion killed at least two people and injured 31 others.
Tuesday’s explosion at the Chempark site waste management facility sent a large black cloud of smoke into the air and ignited the fire that extinguishes the fire extinguisher almost four hours to put out.
Industrial park is located in the city of Leverkusen, near Cologne.
The CEO of Carea, which operates the Chempark industrial park, said there was little hope for five lost workers – four employees today and one outside contractor.
“We must assume that missing people can no longer be found alive,” said Frank Hyldmar told reporters in Leverkusen.
He added that from 31 injured, one person was still in a life-threatening condition.
The police said on Wednesday that investigations into the cause of the explosion would begin on Thursday, the DPA German news agency reported.
So far, it seems that the explosion was associated with a storage tank filled with solvents.
Because of thick smoke, the authorities told residents on Tuesday to live in the room and close several major highways for hours.
City officials also warned people not to let children play outside, use the outer pool or eat fruit and vegetables from their backyard for the next few days.
Environmental authority for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Leverkusen is, said Wednesday that the explosion smoke contained dioxin, biphenyl compound and fury pollorination.
However, it has not been able to say how strong the concentration of this chemical, the DPA reported.
Leverkusen is home to Bayer, one of the largest German chemical companies and one of the biggest employers in the region.
The city has around 163,000 residents, many of which work for Bayer.
Industrial park is close to the Rhine River.