Chemical cloud over Bavaria, four injured: first details
Illustrative photo: chemical leak at a German plant (Getty Images)
A chemical leak likely occurred following an industrial accident in the German city of Mainaschaff, according to the German outlet Heidelberg24.
The first reports of a gas cloud over the city of Aschaffenburg appeared on the evening of October 7. The incident was linked to an accident at a zinc plant in the nearby town of Mainaschaff. Fire crews patrolled the streets to inform residents.
Germany’s DPA news agency later reported that a chemical reaction occurred inside a 6,000-liter hazardous-materials tank.
Roughly two hours after the incident began, the site had been cooled down, and the bright yellow smoke had gradually turned white.
According to the fire department, a metal part had fallen into a bath containing 6,000 liters of nitric acid, triggering the reaction and releasing toxic gases. About 250 emergency service workers were deployed to the scene.
Residents of nearby neighborhoods were advised to keep their windows and doors closed due to the release of a potentially toxic gas cloud. Measurements taken by the fire department showed no harmful particles in the air up to five kilometers from the site, though monitoring continued.
Local police said that four people were injured in the chemical accident in Mainaschaff.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported on the disaster at the US Steel plant in the United States. On August 11, a powerful explosion occurred at the Clairton Coke Works facility in Pennsylvania, killing one person, injuring ten, and leaving another missing.
The blast produced a massive column of black smoke visible across the city, followed by a large fire that damaged two coke batteries at the plant.
Meanwhile, NASA released footage showing Earth suffering from atmospheric emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. Another video by NASA illustrated how global sea levels have risen over the past 30 years.
