Blast at German chemical facility injures 3

An explosion at a chemical industry facility in western Germany on Saturday left three people injured and sent up a large cloud of smoke, authorities said. German news agency dapd reported that one employee sustained severe burns and was taken to a hospital by helicopter after the early-afternoon incident in Marl, in the Ruhr industrial region. Emergency services were working to recover a second injured person, according to the facility's managers, and a fireman sustained light injuries while working to extinguish the blaze that followed the explosion. Police said a tank apparently exploded at the facility. By late afternoon, the resulting fire was under control and the cloud of smoke had thinned out. Authorities initially said that two more people were missing, but later tracked them down at home. The chemical industry estate where the incident happened contains facilities belonging to 30 companies.