One person has been killed in an explosion at a chemical plant in Germany while six others are missing.
It was previously reported several people had been injured.
The fire department in the region confirmed at a press conference one person had been confirmed dead.
It’s understood there was an explosion and a fire which broke during work on pipelines in the north harbour area of its Ludwigshafen site.
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.
In a statement BASF said it is investigating the cause of the explosion and is shutting down its two steam crackers.
Residents in Ludwigshafen have also been advised to avoid going outside and to keep their windows and doors shut.
The Ludwigshafen site is the largest chemical complex and covers and area of four square miles.
It employs 39,000 workers.
Four people were also injured in an earlier gas explosion at BASF’s Lampertheim facility.
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.
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