- After the BASF incident: buildings inspected by internal experts
Following the incident involving 18 minor injuries at the headquarters of chemical giant BASF in Ludwigshafen, internal experts from the company inspected the affected building. "A complete collapse of the building is not expected," said a spokesperson for the company based in the second-largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate. "However, various areas must be supported and closed off for safety reasons." The criminal police were already on site.
The exact cause of the explosion cannot be determined at this time. "This is the subject of ongoing official and internal investigations and examinations."
The explosion, caused by the release of an organic solvent, occurred on Monday in the southern part of the world's largest chemical company's plant. The fire was extinguished by the plant's fire brigade. The affected facility has been shut down and is in a safe condition, it was reported. Environmental monitoring vehicles were deployed both within and outside the premises. They found slightly elevated levels of hydrocarbons within the area and in adjacent parts. "There was never any danger to the population," the company stated.
The Commission expressed their concern about the incident and requested a detailed report from BASF regarding the safety measures implemented post-explosion. Despite the internal investigations, The Commission urged the company to accelerate the identification and resolution of the root cause of the explosion.
