Two people were killed and 31 others injured in an explosion at a chemical facility in the western German city of Leverkusen, the site's operator announced in a new toll, while five people are still missing.
"We deeply regret this tragic accident," Korenta, the operator of the Kimpark plant, said in a statement, adding that "rescue efforts are continuing" to find the five missing workers.
She indicated that the dead, wounded and missing were all workers of the facility.
The company asked the people to stay in their homes while black smoke was rising from the facility.
The explosion occurred at about nine in the morning local time (0740 GMT), and its causes are still unknown.
The German application, "Nina", which specializes in issuing warnings, sent a warning to the people that all doors and windows must be closed, while clouds of black smoke were rising from the site. Parents were also asked not to press the emergency telephone network.
Corenta confirmed that the accident occurred at its landfill and waste incinerator in the Boerig area of Leverkusen, which is not the main industrial area that includes many chemical companies such as Bayer, Lanxess and Evonik.
At an afternoon press conference in Leverkusen, Kimpark President Larch Friedrich said the warning to stay at home remained, as experts rushed to determine the composition of the rising smoke.
Asked whether the smoke contained toxic gases, Frederick declined to speculate, but said no hypotheses could be ruled out.
The city's mayor, Uwe Rechrath, said it was "a dark day for the people of Leverkusen".
He pointed out that the playgrounds in the neighborhoods of Boerig and Obladen will be closed, and he urged people to wash the fruits and vegetables that grow in their gardens before eating them.
Leverkusen city authorities wrote on Facebook that pollution levels were still at the "green level" and that measures were taken as a precaution.
The explosion caused a fire in containers of liquid solvents waiting to be burned.
It took several hours to put out the massive fire, and firefighters from neighboring Cologne were called in to join the effort.
Cologne police wrote in a tweet that they had closed several motorways in the area due to "significant damage" and urged drivers to avoid them.
Pictures of black smoke rising in the air spread on social media, and some said that the windows of their homes were shaken by the force of the explosion.
Leverkusen is located on the east bank of the Rhine, 20 kilometers north of Cologne in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It has a population of more than 160 thousand people.
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