1 Dead, 16 Injured In Germany Chemical Complex Explosion

It happened at an industrial park for chemical companies.

An explosion at an industrial park for chemical companies in Germany killed at least one person Tuesday, with 16 injured and four still missing. Fire officials who tested the air said there did not appear to be a danger to nearby residents after authorities initially urged people to shelter inside. The explosion at the waste management facility of the Chempark site in the city of Leverkusen, near Cologne, sent a large black cloud into the air. It took firefighters almost four hours to extinguish the fire that took hold after the explosion. Germany’s Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance initially classified the incident as “an extreme threat." Later on Tuesday, however, the Cologne fire department tweeted that measurements of the air's pollution “do not show any kind of abnormality.” They said the smoke had gone down but that they would continue to measure the air for toxins.