A massive explosion has rocked a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas. Dozens are feared dead and at least 172 were injured in the disaster. Rescuers have to deal with toxic fumes contaminating the neighborhood.
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 blast followed a fire at the plant, which is thought to have started in an anhydrous ammonia tank before spreading to the buildings at the plant.
There is no official fatality count, but dozens are feared to have died in the disaster. The Department of Public Safety reported that 50 to 75 residences have been damaged in West.
Rescuers are doing house-to-house search in the area. Among those missing are the four to five firefighters, who responded to the initial fire at the plant.
The number of casualties may rise as the rescue operation continues. West's EMS director told local KTVT late Wednesday night that he, a doctor, and Justice of the Peace are getting set to"pronounce many people dead" at the scene.
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.
Unconfirmed reports say a helicopter was damaged in the disaster area, with Waco police trying to validate this information.
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 / Mike
Stone)
The authorities have evacuated the northern part of the town, which had a population of 2,674 at the 2010 census. The town is located 30 km north of Waco, Texas, and 110 km south of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Roughly 150 survivors from a damaged nursing home, who were feared dead in the first hours after the explosion, were sent to a community center outside of town.
The football field that was being used as an emergency command center and helicopter landing pad has been evacuated due to fears of a second explosion.
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.
First responders requested a bomb squad to investigate a pervasive scent of flammable chemicals. Multiple barns in the area were engulfed in flames. One witness told the Waco Tribune "every house within about four blocks is blown apart." The local middle school was also on fire, but luckily it was not in session at the time.
Firefighters are being kept away from the still-smoldering plant to extinguish the remaining fires due to safety concerns, the DPS reports. Toxic fumes are rising from the site.
West Mayor Tommy Muska told residents to stay in inside because of the hydrous gas still in the air.
Police say their evacuation plans may be altered or broadened depending on the weather conditions and the severity of the chemical threat.
A disaster of this scale at a chemical plant poses serious contamination danger, although without radiation, nuclear safety expert Robert Jacobs told RT.
“Obviously with the kinds of winds that blow in such big and intense fires there will be airborne distribution. There is nothing that can be done while the event is happening,” he explained. “What will be done is assessment and clean-up in the aftermath. Currently people are being evacuated because of the dangers for further explosions, for fire to spread and also for ‘spread-around’ of some of the chemicals from the plant.”
The US Chemical Safety Board said it is deploying "a large investigation team" headed by a regional office director to investigate the causes of the blast.
Among other chemicals, the plant was using ammonia, a colorless toxic gas, which is liquid under pressure. When concentrated it is corrosive to tissues upon contact. Its safety service guide reads that exposure to ammonia in sufficient quantities can be fatal.
Ammonia becomes highly explosive when mixed with gas and/or air. Containers with ammonia are prone to explosions when heated, while ruptured cylinders may rocket.
The plant reportedly stored about 25 tons of the chemical.
West Intermediate School, which is located near the fertilizer plant, had to evacuate the students and personnel in February after a fire was spotted at the plant. Later it was established that the alarm was due to controlled burning of pallets and brush at the plant, of which the school had not been notified.
The factory was also investigated in 2006 after a complaint over strong ammonia smell coming from it, according to records.
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