Southern areas of the Netherlands are on the top state of alert after a blaze at a chemical plant near Rotterdam sent out a thick plume of smoke. The cloud from the fire at Moerdijk was floating north and had reached the city of Dordrecht, Dutch media said. Some 400,000 litres of carcinogenic material are stored at the Chemie-Pack plant.
Some reports said toxic fumes had been released, but others said they were not dangerous. Radio Netherlands Worldwide described the fumes as a "huge cloud of toxic black smoke" However, Associated Press news agency quoted Moerdijk Mayor Wim Denie as saying measurements had not detected fumes that could form a health risk. The cause of the blaze has not yet been established.
