Many missing in German chemical plants blasts

BASF said there was an explosion and a fire broke during work on pipelines in the north harbour area of its Ludwigshafen site, where it is headquartered, at around 11.30 local time. 

Several people were injured and some are still missing, it said in a statement. It is investigating the cause of the explosion and is shutting down its two steam crackers, large facilities that make important basic chemical components, as well as some other units. The city of Ludwigshafen advised residents in the surrounding area to avoid going outside and to keep their windows and doors shut. Local authorities have also asked nurseries and schools to keep children indoors, but no evacuations have been ordered.

The Ludwigshafen site, around 80 kilometres south of Frankfurt, is the world's largest chemical complex, covering an area of 10 square kilometres and employing 39,000 workers, according to BASF. 

Images published by local media showed flames and a plume of thick black smoke at the site's harbour, a terminal for combustible fluids such as naphtha and methanol that are important for BASF's supply of raw materials. 

The company employs 36,000 people in Ludwigshafen. Separately, four people were injured in an earlier gas explosion at BASF's Lampertheim facility. BASF said it was also still investigating the cause of that explosion, which occurred at 08.30 local time. It has switched off the Lampertheim facility, which makes additives for plastics. BASF employs over 110,000 employees worldwide and recorded sales of more than 70 billion euros ($ 77 billion) last year.