Hoechst under fire as worker dies in blast

(First Edition)

A FATAL blast at Hoechst's main chemical factory in Frankfurt has provoked further sharp criticism of the safety and information procedures used by Germany's biggest chemical group.

One man died and another was severely burned in yesterday's explosion. The plant, situated in highly populated suburbs, has been the site of repeated accidents over the past three weeks. A 5-kilometre black cloud rose from the burning glue production section yesterday and drifted for over an hour over the surrounding suburbs. The fire burst containers of the highly toxic chemical methanol, but officials found no traces outside the plant. This accident was the eleventh since 22 February, when more than two tons of a colour preparation mixture leaked from the plant and rained down on schools, playgrounds, houses and cars.

The company described the substance as 'only slightly toxic', only to be condemned later by the state authorities for inadequate and misleading information. Hundreds of people complained of respiratory problems. The plant was shut down and Hoechst had to carry out a full clean-up.

Hoechst shares dropped nearly DM5 to DM249 yesterday. State authorities ordered the glue section to be closed, and were to hold talks last night with Hoechst's management board about safety. The German Environment Minister, Klaus Topfer, said 'more intensive state control of plant safety' would be enacted.