Massive Explosion at fertilizer plant in Texas injures hundreds

Hundreds of people were likely injured in a fiery explosion on Wednesday night at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas, that damaged or destroyed numerous buildings including a nursing home, authorities said.

The blast was reported at about 8 p.m. CDT (0100 GMT on Thursday) in West, a town of some 2,700 people about 80 miles south of Dallas and 20 miles north of Waco.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, D.L. Wilson, told Reuters the blast had probably caused "hundreds of casualties" and damaged many homes.

He added that a nearby nursing home collapsed from the explosion and that people were believed trapped inside.

A Reuters reporter observed that a middle school and several homes in the area appeared to have been severely bued.

More than 100 people injured in the blast and fire were being taken to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, said vice president of hospital operations David Argueta.

Hillcrest CEO Glenn Robinson told CNN that the hospital was seeing "everything from orthopedic injuries to patients that are experiencing serious blood loss."

Goveor Rick Perry issued a statement saying his office had "mobilized state resources to help local authorities" deal with the incident.

Infeo: A towering plume of smoke is caught on camera by a resident in West, Texas following the explosion this evening

Blaze: The blast ripped through West Fertilizer at 7.50pm and fires continue to bu at the scene

 

Blast: A column of smoke rises after an explosion at a fertilizer plant north of Waco, Texas on Wednesday