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🇩🇰 Denmark /Disasters & Emergencies

Danish waste blamed for deadly explosion in Germany

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Under investigation
  • Waste originating from Denmark caused a fatal explosion at a German incineration plant in 2021, killing seven people.
  • German prosecutors concluded the waste had "self-degrading properties" that led to the accident.
  • Investigations are ongoing into Danish and Hamburg-based companies potentially responsible for not disclosing the waste's hazardous nature.

Waste shipped from Denmark is blamed for a deadly explosion at an incineration plant in western Germany in 2021 that claimed the lives of seven individuals. The conclusion comes from the environmental prosecutor's office in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, as reported by the German news agency dpa.

According to the German authority, the waste possessed "self-degrading properties" which were the direct cause of the accident. The incident occurred at a facility in Leverkusen, near Cologne. Prosecutors have decided not to pursue charges against the plant's operator, Currenta, citing insufficient grounds for suspicion.

self-degrading properties

— Environmental prosecutor's office in North Rhine-WestphaliaThe German authority identified the characteristic of the waste that led to the accident.

However, potential responsible parties within the Danish company that supplied the waste, as well as a Hamburg-based firm, remain under investigation. The specific companies involved in both Denmark and Hamburg have not been identified.

The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether these companies "failed to disclose information about the hazardous properties of the waste material" to the incineration plant operator. The prosecutor's office is seeking to establish accountability for the tragic event.

failed to disclose information about the hazardous properties of the waste material

— Environmental prosecutor's office in North Rhine-WestphaliaThe prosecutor's office is investigating whether companies withheld crucial safety information.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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