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.
Deutsche Welle is also reporting that the blast took place at a river harbor which is used to unload flammable liquids and liquid gas, according to BASF. Following the explosion, a pipeline that was undergoing repairs began spewing soot, BASF plant manager Liebelt told the press.
BASF and police advised local residents in the area around the giant facility to stay inside and shut all doors and windows. They said they didn't know which chemicals exactly could be airborne within the plume of smoke rising from the accident site. The city of Ludwigshafen reported on Twitter that residents located near the plant were complaining of "respiratory irritation."
A large plume of smoke could be seen billowing over the chemical complex. A twitter user filming the plume of smoke from the nearby city of Mannheim said the explosion caused "a giant column of fire."