Basel’s disaster

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Firefighters were out in force on the night of November 1, 1986. (Keystone/Silvio Mettler) Keystone

The Rhine was massively polluted by pesticides. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

Students at the Basel Academy of Music hold a funeral march for the Rhine. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

A task force cleans up after the accident. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

Sandoz security guards at work. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

More than 150,000 eels died in the Rhine. (Keystone/Gardin) Keystone

Basel's population came out in force to demonstate against those responsible for the disaster. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

After the accident: more than 8,000 barrels of poisonous waste in a warehouse. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

Urine, blood and hair tests were used to check if humans had been contaminated. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

The destroyed warehouse. (RDB/Felix Aeberli) RDB

Schools were closed across the whole region. (RDB/Felix Aeberli) RDB

"Helvetia auf der Reise" (Helvetia travelling), a sculpture by Bettina Eichin on Basel's Middle Bridge over the Rhine. (Keystone/Michael Kupferschmidt) Keystone

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How the Schweizerhalle chemical accident hit a city and its surroundings hard.

On the night of November 1, 1986 a fire broke out at the Sandoz company chemical warehouse at the Schweizerhalle industrial area outside the city. The run-off from water used in fire fighting operations mixed with chemicals to become a contaminated cocktail that found its way into the River Rhine, with devastating effects.