Latest: One dead, several injured in explosion at chemical plant

Update 3.20pm: One person has been killed and six others injured in a chemical plant explosion in Germany, authorities said.

Earlier:

Several people have been injured in an explosion at a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in south-western Germany, the company said.

BASF also said a few others have yet to be accounted for following the late-morning explosion at a river harbour in Ludwigshafen that is used to unload flammable liquids and liquid gas.

More precise figures on the numbers of injured and missing were not provided.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the explosion.

Residents in parts of Ludwigshafen, where BASF is based, and Mannheim, on the other side of the Rhine river, were advised to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.