FRANKFURT (Reuters) - At least two people died and six were severely injured on Monday in an explosion and fire at chemicals maker BASF’s biggest production site in Germany, the company said.

Smoke rises from the factory of chemicals giant BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany where several people had been injured following an explosion, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Two people are still missing, BASF said.

The explosion occurred on a supply line connecting a harbor and a tank depot on the Ludwigshafen site at around 1120 local time (0920 GMT), according to BASF, the world’s biggest chemicals company.

A fire that broke out following the blast sent up plumes of smoke for hours, prompting BASF and the city of Ludwigshafen to urge residents in the surrounding area to avoid going outside and to keep their windows and doors shut.

Measurements taken in the area so far have indicated no risk from toxic fumes, BASF said.

“We deeply regret that employees died and several people were injured. Our sympathy is with the affected people and their families,” the Ludwigshafen site’s chief, Uwe Liebelt, said in a statement.

The company said it was unclear so far what caused the explosion. BASF also said it could not say what financial impact the explosion might have.

It shut down 14 facilities, including its two steam crackers, large units that make basic chemical components, for safety reasons and because the supply of raw materials was disrupted by the blast.

The Ludwigshafen site, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Frankfurt, is the world’s largest chemical complex, covering an area of 10 square kilometers (four square miles) and employing 39,000 workers, according to BASF. It is located on the Rhine river and receives many of its raw materials by ship.

The harbor at which the explosion occurred is a terminal for combustible fluids such as naphtha and methanol that are important for BASF’s supply of raw materials.

News of the explosion came less than two hours after BASF said four people were injured in a gas explosion at its Lampertheim facility, a plant near Ludwigshafen that makes additives for plastics.</s>Dark smoke rises from a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in Ludwigshafen, southwestern Germany, Monday Oct. 17, 2016. The company said that several people were injured in a late-morning explosion.

BERLIN — One person is still missing after an explosion at chemical firm BASF's plant in the southwestern German city of Ludwigshafen that left at least two people dead, the company said Tuesday.

The fire at a river harbor in the sprawling facility was extinguished on Monday night, about 10 hours after the explosion, BASF said. As of Tuesday morning, one person was still missing. Ludwigshafen fire service chief Peter Friedrich said that person is believed to be in the harbor, but it hasn't yet been possible to send in divers.

Eight people were seriously injured and another 17 had light injuries, BASF said. Two members of BASF's fire service have been confirmed dead.

Some of the injured had "very severe burns" and six of them were in intensive care, city official Dieter Feid said.

The explosion followed a fire in a pipeline between an area where liquids are unloaded from ships on the Rhine river and storage tanks. The BASF fire service had arrived at the scene when the blast occurred.

BASF said that the substances that burned in the subsequent blaze included ethylene — used in producing solvents and insulation — and propylene, used in producing car paint and adhesives.

It isn't yet clear what caused the blast.</s>Several injured in explosion at BASF facility in Germany

Chemical company BASF says several people have been injured in an explosion at a facility in southwestern Germany.

Company spokeswoman Ursula von Stetten said the explosion occurred late Monday morning at a river harbor in Ludwigshafen, where BASF is based, that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquid gas.

She couldn’t immediately say precisely how many people were injured. There was no immediate word on the cause of the explosion.</s>In addition, six people are still missing, the Ludwigshafen site's chief, Uwe Liebelt, told journalists.

The explosion occurred on a supply line connecting a harbor and a tank depot on the site at around 1130 local time (5.30 a.m. ET), BASF said, adding it could not yet say what caused the explosion.

A fire that broke out following the blast sent up plumes of smoke, prompting BASF, the world's biggest chemicals company, and the city of Ludwigshafen to urge residents in the surrounding area to avoid going outside and to keep their windows and doors shut.

Measurements taken in the area so far have indicated no risk from toxic fumes, BASF said.

"We will of course do everything we can to clear the matter up," site chief Liebelt said.

BASF said it turned off 14 facilities near the blast site for safety reasons, including its two steam crackers, large units that make important basic chemical components. Liebelt said he could not yet comment on how much financial damage the explosion would cause the company.

The Ludwigshafen site, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Frankfurt, is the world's largest chemical complex, covering an area of 10 square kilometers (four square miles) and employing 39,000 workers, according to BASF.

The harbor at which the explosion occurred is a terminal for combustible fluids such as naphtha and methanol that are important for BASF's supply of raw materials.

News of the explosion came less than two hours after BASF said four people were injured in a gas explosion at its Lampertheim facility, a plant near Ludwigshafen that makes additives for plastics.</s>Late-morning blast took place at a river harbor that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquid gas.

Several people were injured on Monday in an explosion at a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in southwestern Germany, the company said.

BASF also said that a few others have yet to be accounted for following the late-morning explosion at a river harbor in Ludwigshafen that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquid gas.

More precise figures on the numbers of injured and missing were not provided.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the explosion.

Residents in parts of Ludwigshafen, where BASF is based, and Mannheim, on the other side of the Rhine river, were advised to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.</s>Residents of the Germany city of Ludwighshafen were urged to stay indoors on Monday after explosions at BASF chemical plants left at least one dead, seven injured and six missing.

Officals at BASF, one of the world’s largest chemicals conglomerates, insisted there was no terrorist link to the incidents that appeared to involve supply pipes to the facilities.

The most serious incident occured at about 11.30am on Monday when a fire broke out at the main Ludwigsburg plant, 80km south of Frankfurt, the cause of which remains unclear.

A loud explosion occured shortly after the company’s own fire brigade arrived at the site to deal with the blaze. Aerial images of the main BASF site showed huge balls of flame and plumes of black smoke rising and drifing into the atmosphere.

Company officials insisted no dangerous chemicals had been released into the atmosphere as a result of the explosion. At an afternoon press conference Uwe Liebelt, a BASF plant manager, confirmed one fatality, declined to speculate about the fate of the six missing employees and said it was a “sad day” for the company.

“Our thoughts are with the dead person and the relatives,” said Mr Liebelt, expressing hope that the 100-strong fire brigade, after bringing the blaze under control by Monday afternoon, would have extinguished it entirely by evening.

Eye witnesses in the nearby city of Ludwigshafen said they heard a loud bang that caused windows to rattle across the city. City officials said the blaze could lead to odours and heavy haze and urged residents to stay indoors.

Schools and childcare facilities were instructed to keep children indoors until further notice.

On Twitter, Ludwigshafen officials said some local people had complained of breathing difficulties. As a precautionary measure after the accidents, BASF wound down production at its central facility.

Spread over 10 square kilometres, employing 40,000 people, it is the world’s largest chemical facility. Hours before the major accident, at the central plant’s northern harbour that deals with flammable fluids and high-pressure liquid gases, another fire reported at a nearby, secondary, facility left four injured.

The two fires within hours of each other have raised fresh questions about the safety record of BASF, which has been bBased for decades in the densely-populated Rhineland-Palatinate region. Locals say minor incidents are part of daily life.

The last major incident at the plant occured two years ago a massive explosion in a high-pressure gas pipe claimed two lives and left 22 injured.</s>2 dead, at least 6 hurt in blast at BASF plant in Germany

Dark smoke rises from a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in Ludwigshafen, southwestern Germany, Monday Oct. 17, 2016. The company said that several people were injured in a late-morning explosion.

BERLIN — An explosion at a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in southwestern Germany killed two people and injured at least six others on Monday, authorities said. Another two still were missing hours after the blast.

The explosion occurred in the late morning at a river harbor in Ludwigshafen that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquefied gas.

Plant manager Uwe Liebelt said it was preceded by a fire in a pipeline between the area where the liquids are unloaded and storage tanks. The explosion happened after the company's fire service arrived at the scene.

"How the explosion happened is not clear at the moment," Liebelt told reporters. He added that it wasn't yet known what substances were involved and didn't elaborate on the identities of the victims.

Earlier in the day, the company had reported that one person had died in the explosion.

BASF confirmed on Monday evening that the death toll had risen to two, spokeswoman Silvie-Kristin Wemper said.

A large column of black smoke rose over the site. Residents in parts of Ludwigshafen, where BASF is based and has a sprawling plant, and Mannheim, on the other side of the Rhine river, were advised to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.</s>BERLIN — An explosion at a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in southwestern Germany killed one person and injured at least six others on Monday, authorities said. Another six people had yet to be accounted for several hours after the blast.

The explosion occurred in the late morning at a river harbor in Ludwigshafen that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquefied gas.

Plant manager Uwe Liebelt said it was preceded by a fire in a pipeline between the area where the liquids are unloaded and storage tanks. The explosion happened after the company's fire service arrived at the scene.

"How the explosion happened is not clear at the moment," Liebelt told reporters. He added that it wasn't yet known what substances were involved and didn't elaborate on the identities of the victims.

A large column of black smoke rose over the site. Residents in parts of Ludwigshafen, where BASF is based and has a sprawling plant, and Mannheim, on the other side of the Rhine river, were advised to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.</s>BERLIN — Authorities say that one person was killed and at least six injured in an explosion at a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in southwestern Germany. Another six people have yet to be accounted for.

The blast occurred late Monday morning at a river harbor in Ludwigshafen that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquefied gas. BASF executive Uwe Liebelt said a fire in a pipeline was followed by the blast.

A large column of black smoke rose over the site. Residents in parts of Ludwigshafen, where BASF is based, and Mannheim, on the other side of the Rhine river, were advised to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.</s>They were responding to a minor fire near the site's river harbor on Monday morning when a pipe exploded, BASF told journalists at a news conference on Tuesday.

One other person is still missing following the blast and six of the 25 people injured are still in intensive care, Ludwigshafen city official Dieter Feid said at the news conference.

"Things are not looking good for some of them," he said.

The resulting blaze took firefighters 10 hours to extinguish and forced BASF to shut down more than 20 facilities, including its two steam crackers which produce the basic hydrocarbon chemicals such as propylene and ethylene used to manufacture a wide range of plastics and other chemicals.

It is still unclear what caused the initial fire, BASF said. Investigators have not yet been able to examine the blast site because there is still some gas leaking from broken pipes.

BASF said there was no risk to the public from toxic fumes, and said it had been able to prevent chemicals from leaking into the Rhine river.

The harbor terminal at which the explosion occurred handles combustible fluids such as naphtha and methanol and remains closed for the time being, which means BASF is facing a shortage of raw materials needed for production.

"That means that we have a big challenge for production now and that we will have to seek solutions with our customers as quickly as possible," management board member Margret Suckale said at the news conference.

She said she could not yet say what the financial damage of the explosion would be, adding the company's main concern was for the deceased, the injured and their families for the moment.

BASF's Ludwigshafen site, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Frankfurt, is the world's largest chemical complex, covering an area of 10 square kilometers (four square miles) and employing 39,000 workers, according to BASF.
An explosion and fire in Ludwigshafen, at the largest production site of BASF in Germany, kills at least two people and injures six more with two people still missing. BASF is the world's biggest chemical producer.