UPDATE: Two dead, six injured in BASF chemical plant blast

An explosion at chemical manufacturer BASF’s facility in Germany on Monday has killed at least two people and severely injured six others.

One person was still missing according to latest reports from the plant in Ludwigshafen, where the search for the incident’s cause is still ongoing, but terrorism-related activity has been ruled out.

In a press release on Tuesday afternoon, Ludwigshafen fire service chief Peter Friedrich said the fire services had not yet been able to reach the pipeline where the incident happened due to large amounts of extinguishing foam on it.

The blast happened in a pipeline transporting flammable chemicals to a harbour area, where they were to be loaded into ships.

Locals on Monday reported cases of breathing difficulties after being exposed to smoke and emissions from the burning chemicals.