Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion

Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

A massive explosion has rocked a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas. Dozens are feared dead and more than 160 were injured in the disaster. Rescuers have to deal with toxic fumes contaminating the neighborhood. Follow LIVE UPDATES on Texas plant explosion

 Plant explosion registers as an earthquake, levels buildings

The explosion occurred Wednesday around 7:50pm local time [00:50 GMT Thursday] in the town of West, north of Waco. A fireball of nearly 30 meters high has been reported along with a massive power outage. The US Geological Survey registered the explosion as a 2.1 magnitude quake, adding that “the magnitude measures only the ground motion, not the air wave, so is substantially less than the true size of the event.”

The neighborhood itself sustained significant damage, with buildings close to the explosion literarily leveled. The Department of Public Safety reported that 50 to 75 residences have been damaged in West. DPS spokesman DL Wilson compared the scale of destruction to the wartime Iraq and the 1995 bombing of the Albert P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013 (Reuters / MikeThere is no official fatality count yet. Police reported that between five and 15 people are estimated to have been killed, including the firefighters responding to the initial fire at the plant and a law official. Dozens are feared to have died in the disaster. image by @NewsBreaker

More than 160 people have been confirmed to be taken to hospitals, police reported. At least 24 patients were earlier said to be in a critical condition. Most of the injuries were from cuts, bruises and broken bones from the debris, authorities said. The blast wave shattered glass and sent objects and people flying. There are also patients with respiratory problems. Medical officials say high winds in the area made the use emergency helicopters to transport patients difficult.
Read More:  Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT USA