Huge Blast At German Chemical Site, Residents Urged To Stay Indoors

Germany: The blast at the Chempark industrial site triggered an "extreme danger" alert on the country's NINA warning app.

A huge explosion at a chemical park in the western German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday sent a column of black smoke into the air, with officials urging residents to shelter indoors and close their windows. The blast at the Chempark industrial site triggered an "extreme danger" alert on Germany's NINA warning app, urging residents to close all doors and windows and keep the emergency phone numbers free as much as possible. Police in the nearby city of Cologne tweeted that they were closing several motorways in the Leverkusen area because of "major damage". There were no immediate reports of injuries.