Explosions have been reported at two chemical plants in Germany owned by BASF. Several people are said to have been injured and some are missing. <br /><br /> One of the blasts happened at Ludwigshafen about 80 kilometres south of Frankfurt, the company’s headquarters and the world’s largest chemical complex.<br /><br /> Separately, an earlier explosion at Lampertheim injured four people. The first blast happened at about 8.30 local time.<br /><br /> Some three hours later came the second explosion at Ludwigshafen, followed by a fire which broke out during work on pipelines. BASF said in a statement that several people were injured and some were still missing.<br /><br /> The nearby town has advised people in the surrounding area to avoid going outside and to keep windows and doors shut.<br /><br /> The company is investigating the cause of both explosions.<br />
