BASF says that the deadly explosion yesterday at the company’s Ludwigshafen, Germany, complex, occurred in a pipeline that was undergoing maintenance work. The resulting fires burned several pipelines at Ludwigshafen’s north harbor, igniting ethylene and propylene that was being transported in the pipeline system, the company says.

BASF says that production has been halted or reduced at about 20 production plants at Ludwigshafen, and that the idled facilities include the site’s two steam crackers. “As the raw material supply is still interrupted, the steam crackers remain shut down,” BASF says. The company has declined to provide details of the other plants or how long they will remain offstream.

The explosion occurred at about 11.30am local time yesterday and the resulting fires were extinguished at about 9.30pm, BASF says. The company confirms that two employees of the BASF fire department died in the fires and eight workers were seriously injured with a further 17 suffering light injuries. One person is still missing, BASF says.

Ludwigshafen blast ignited ethylene, propylene in pipelines; 20 plants still offline or at low rates

6:09 AM MDT | October 18, 2016 | Ian Young