At least 14 workers have been injured in an explosion and subsequent fire at the BASF Ludwigshafen plant in Germany, the multinational chemical giant has said.
The incident unfolded on Monday afternoon when a blast was heard at the sprawling plant, the largest integrated chemicals production complex in the world. A thick plume of black smoke was seen emanating from the facility, with locals reportedly told to keep their windows and doors shut. Authorities later gave the all-clear and lifted the notice.
“Fourteen employees were slightly injured in the incident,” BASF said in a statement, adding that all the affected employees were receiving precautionary care on site.
The fire was extinguished by the plant’s firefighting teams, and no dangerous chemicals were leaked into the environment, the company claimed, adding that only “slightly elevated levels of hydrocarbons” were registered in the immediate area.
“There was no danger to the public at any time,” the BASF statement insisted.
The company said it has already established the cause of the incident, yet not disclosed it thus far.
BASF is the largest chemical producer in the world, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The plant in the site is the company’s oldest and largest facility, with subsidiaries and joint ventures operating in more than 80 countries with some 400 production sites.