Photo shows the site of explosion at German chemical company BASF facility in Ludwigshafen on Monday. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

BERLIN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- One person died in an explosion at German chemical company BASF facility in Ludwigshafen, which also left at least six people injured, six more missing, a BASF officer confirmed at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

According to the company, its facility in Ludwigshafen exploded at around 11:30 a.m (0930 GMT) local time on Monday.

The fire was triggered when work was being carried out on a pipeline route, with which preliminary products of ships were transported to actual production sites.

Uwe Liebelt, plant manager in Ludwigshafen, confirmed at the press conference that there was a fire on a supply line in the port, which led to the explosion as the fire brigade arrived. However,the cause of the explosion remained unclear, he added.

In addition, local residents have been asked to stay in their houses, keep doors and windows closed, and shut down ventilation and air conditioning.

At about 4:30 p.m. local time (1430 GMT), local fire brigade reported that the fire was "under control but not erased."

For the sake of safety, BASF has stopped its central production facilities. The so-called steam cracker had been turned off for safety reasons, said a company spokeswoman.