A vessel carrying 2,400 tonnes of suphuric acid has capsized on the Rhine, prompting the closure of the river in Germany to shipping, a police spokesman said today.
The accident happened at Loreley near Weisbaden. It was unclear when the river would be reopened. It was also unclear whether acid had escaped from the vessel, the spokesman said.
The vessel was believed to be of a modern type with a double hull - two layers of hull plating - which would restrain pollution, the spokesman added. Two of four crew members were safe, two others were being searched for.
The vessel belonged to a German shipping company and was sailing from Ludwigshafen in Germany to the Belgian port of Antwerp, the German inland navigation authority said.
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Reuters