AMSTERDAM, June 3 (Reuters) - An explosion and fire werereported at a Shell chemical plant in the Netherlands late onTuesday night, the local fire department said in a tweet. Therewere no injuries.
The sprawling, 320-hectare (790-acre) plant near thesouthern town of Moerdijk manufactures chemicals from petroleumfor use in products ranging from car components to syntheticfibres and insulation materials.
It is supplied by a Shell refinery near Rotterdam.
Dutch public television showed pictures of the flames andlarge plumes of smoke, which eyewitnesses said could be seen infrom Rotterdam, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) away.
Shell officials were not immediately available to comment. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Anthony Deutsch; Editing byDan Grebler)