After a chemical accident in Mannheim, 16 police officers have been reported injured. Among other things, they complained of a dry cough and irritation of the respiratory tract, as the police announced on Wednesday. The operation on the factory premises in Mühlauhafen continues, the affected container is extinguished with water. That’s supposed to cool it down. In addition, escaping vapors should be reduced.
There could still be odor nuisances in the city center and in the Jungbusch and Neckarstadt West districts. A chemical reaction occurred in a container in the port on Tuesday afternoon. Around 200 barrels of hydrosulfite were stored there, an aid in the textile industry that is used, among other things, for bleaching.
According to the investigation, the product may have self-decomposed. In the process, sulfur dioxide and other sulfur salts were released. The cloud of smoke was at times around 150 meters high. The exact cause of the accident remained unclear.
No elevated values were found at night during air measurements at various locations in the city.
