A number of people
have been killed and hundreds injured after an explosion at a fertiliser plant
in Texas.
More than half of
the town has been evacuated and people are still being pulled from damaged
buildings following the blast in West, near Waco.
The blast - which
the US geological survey said had a 2.1 magnitude - was so powerful that a
nearby block of flats was destroyed and 130 residents of a local nursing home
were injured.
As many as 75 homes were damaged by
the blast as well as a local school.
A number of people are also
suffering from "respiratory distress due to chemical
inhalation".
Officials have said firefighters
have stopped trying to tackle the blaze as there are fears of another
explosion.
The explosion happened shortly
before 8pm local time on Wednesday and could be heard as far away as 45 miles.
Tommy Muska, West's mayor, said a
number of firefighters are unaccounted for.
He told CNN: "It's like a
nuclear bomb went off."
Sergeant William Swanton, from Waco
Police Department, said there were scenes of "extreme devastation".
"We're going house to house,
business to business, and we're seeing quite a bit of devastation in the area
of the plant.
"They’re still pulling victims
out, still bringing victims to triage.
"There may be firefighters
that are unaccounted for and potentially a law enforcement officer as
well."
He also said that a helicopter
which was helping with the rescue operation was damaged.
Texas Governor Rick Perry said:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first
responders on the scene."
Debby Marak told The Associated
Press she noticed a lot of smoke coming from the area across town near the
plant, which is near a nursing home.
She said she drove over to see what
was happening, and when she got out of her car two boys ran towards her
screaming that officials told them to leave because the plant was going to
explode.
Moments later the blast happened.
"It was like being in a
tornado," the 58-year-old said. "Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew
out my windshield.
"It was like the whole earth
shook."
Police officers have reportedly
been transporting the injured to local hospitals in their patrol cars.
As many as a dozen helicopters have
been sent to the West High School stadium where ambulances are waiting to
transport victims to hospitals.
Glenn Robinson, chief executive of
Hillcrest Baptist Medical Centre, in Waco, told CNN his hospital had received
66 injured people for treatment, including 38 who were seriously hurt.
He said the injuries included blast
injuries, orthopedic injuries, large wounds and a lot of lacerations and cuts.
American Red Cross crews from
across Texas are being sent to the site
See more photos after the cut.....
