Yesterday an explosion which resulted in fires occurred on a supply line connecting a harbor and a tank depot on the Ludwigshafen site of BASF. The fire has been extinguished, but the BASF fire department and the Ludwigshafen fire department were still on the scene this morning to perform cooling and safety measures.

According to the latest information from BASF, two employees died as a result of the fire. Six people were seriously injured, several others received light injuries. Two people are still missing. The pipelines that burned included one with ethylene and another with propylene, important basic materials used, for example, for the production of insulating materials and solvents, and for the production of automotive paints, dispersions and adhesives. Continuous measurements outside the plant showed no increased levels of toxic substances in the air or ground. The measurements will be continued.

As the raw material supply is still interrupted, two steamcrackers remain shut down. Around 20 other plants are for security reasons either shutdown or only partially running.

• BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany