"There was an explosion with several people injured for as-yet undetermined reasons at around 11:30 (0930 GMT) at BASF Ludwigshafen," the firm's hometown around 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Frankfurt, it said in a press release, adding that local residents should remain inside and shut doors and windows.
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A long column of smoke emerges from the Chemical plant of the BASF site in Ludwigshafen, western Germany on October 17, 2016. Several people were missing and others were injured after an explosion at a chemical plant at BASF's headquarters in western Germany, the firm said, advising local people to stay indoors. AFP