10/09/2014 10:20
Blast rocks chemical waste plant in Germany
An explosion rocked a chemical waste facility Tuesday night near Bremen in northwestern Germany, injuring several people, The Associated Press reported, citing police.
Police told the DPA news agency that one person was severely burned in the blast and that the explosion damaged a nearby residential area in the town of Ritterhude, which is in the county of Verden-Osterholz.
About 30 to 40 houses were damaged — some of them only 20 meters (65 feet) from the facility — as the blast shattered windows. Ripped doors from their frames and tore off roofs, police told DPA. A few houses were in danger of collapsing.
The injured man was found in the rubble and several local residents were slightly injured, police and firefighters said.
The 9 p.m. blast in Ritterhude could be heard for miles and sparked an intense fire.
"We had always looked upon this facility with worry," Ritterhude's mayor, Susanne Geils, told DPA. "We've always said that this company is out of place here."
Marcus Neumann, spokesman for the local Verden-Osterholz police, said authorities believe the injured man is a plant employee whose car was found outside the plant.