'Like a nuclear bomb': Deadly fertilizer plant blast devastates Texas town

Scores of people are reported injured and others are trapped in burning buildings after a huge explosion at a fertiliser plant near Waco in the US state of Texas.

66 injured people including 38 who were seriously hurt; Glenn A Robinson, chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco

The blast at the West Fertilizer plant was reported at 19:50 (00:50 GMT).

Firefighters, ambulances and six helicopters have been mobilised to deal with the situation.

Several buildings are reported to be on fire, some of them in neighbouring residential areas, KWTX-TV reported.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reported that firefighters had been trying to put out a fire at the plant when the explosion happened, and that some were among those injured.

The blast happened in West, a town of about 2,700 people some 20 miles (32km) north of Waco.

TV images showed streams of emergency vehicles descending on the site and ambulance crews using a nearby sports field as an emergency treatment area.

Glenn A Robinson, chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, told that his hospital had received 66 injured people including 38 who were seriously hurt.

He said the hospital was seeing "everything from orthopaedic injuries to patients that are experiencing serious blood loss".

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said: "It's a lot of devastation. I've never seen anything like this. It looks like a war zone with all the debris."

Unconfirmed reports said a nursing home had collapsed in the explosion and some people were believed trapped inside.

Witness Debby Marak told the Associated Press news agency that she had seen smoke coming from the area near the plant and had driven over to see what was happening.

She said that when she arrived, two boys ran toward her screaming that the authorities had told them to leave because the fertiliser plant was going to explode.

She said she drove a short distance before the blast happened.

"It was like being in a tornado," she said. "Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew out my windshield. It was like the whole earth shook."

Another resident told KWTX-TV that she heard several explosions from 13 miles (20km) away.

"It sounded like three bombs going off very close to us,'' said Lydia Zimmerman.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said in a statement: "We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident.
Source: BBC Posted by Unknown 4/18/2013