An unpleasant smell hovering over large parts of Rotterdam on Monday is due to a power cut at the BP plant in the Botlek area, a police spokesman told news agency ANP.

The power cut at the plant shut down the refinery and an automatic process began to burn off the remaining poisonous substances in the system.
The ensuing gas cloud is not dangerous to health but does have a penetrating smell, the news agency stated, without quoting sources. Some 300 people have complained about dizzyness and nausea.