A huge fertilizer plant exploded Wednesday, April 18, in the community of West just a few miles north of Waco, Texas, injuring more than 100 people and bringing down homes and buildings in the vicinity.
According to Reuters, the blast was preceded by a fire that ripped through the factory. As firefighters rushed to douse the flame, the blast occurred. Two smaller blasts followed the initial explosion.
The number of causalities and victims has not yet been officially determined. The mayor of West, Tommy Muska believes the death toll may be high. Apart from injuring scores of people, the explosion also demolished 60 to 80 homes. While a 50 unit residential building was completely blown up, a middle school and the West Rest Haven Nursing Home were also badly damaged, reports Huffington Post.
The nursing home was immediately evacuated by the firemen who had come to handle the fire. Search teams were dispatched to look for more people who could be stuck under debris of the dilapidated homes and structures.
"We've got a lot of people who are hurt, and there's a lot of people, I'm sure, who aren't gonna be here tomorrow. We're gonna search for everybody. We're gonna make sure everybody's accounted for. That's the most important thing right now," Muska said to NDTV.
The explosion comes just two days before the twentieth anniversary of a tragic fire that lapped up a compound where religious leader, David Koresh and his followers were killed. However, the scale of the explosion is much bigger. Some citizens have compared the explosion to a nuclear blast while the others have described the scene to be like the 1995 blast that ripped apart the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Apparently, the Obama administration is aware of the situation and is monitoring the mishap through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reports Reuters.
Check out a video reporting the explosion, below: