Explosion rocks US fertiliser plant

Update 4.15pm: More than 200 people have been injured and many are feared dead in a massive explosion at a fertiliser plant in the US state of Texas which flattened several buildings, local authorities and media say.

The explosion at the West Fertilizer plant in the town of West, about 100km south of Dallas, occurred at 7.50pm on Wednesday (0850 WST Thursday), congressman Bill Flores, who represents the area, said.

He said the explosion happened as volunteer firefighters were battling a blaze at the plant. CNN quoted local health officials as saying that two medical workers were killed.

The blast left the factory a smouldering ruin and levelled buildings for blocks in every direction.

Medical staff set up a field hospital at the scene, and widespread evacuations were ordered as officials feared the spread of poisonous fumes from the blaze.

Fears were also mounting that a second fertiliser tank could erupt in flames.

An apartment complex and a nursing home were destroyed, local residents flooded into emergency shelters, and at least 100 patients were hospitalised following the blast, which seismologists at the US Geological Survey said prompted a magnitude-2.1 tremor.

About 133 patients, some in wheelchairs, were evacuated from the nursing home.

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Some news reports said residents of the nursing home remained trapped after it collapsed in the blast.

The explosion could be heard as far as 72km away and sent flames shooting high into the night sky, and rained burning embers, shrapnel and debris down on residents.

Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in the nearby town of Waco has received 66 injured, including 38 in a serious condition, hospital chief executive Glenn Robinson was quoted as saying by CNN.

Patients were being brought in by cars and ambulances, and six helicopters were being dispatched to pick up those severely injured, he said.

Vehicles near the ruins of the plant. Picture: Reuters

There were conflicting reports about the death toll in the chaotic aftermath of the explosion in the southern US State, which witnesses said sent a huge fireball into the air.

Although authorities said it will be some time before they know the full extent of the loss of life, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L Wilson said just after midnight today that an unknown number of people had died.

A toll of up to 60 or 70 dead was initially reported by KWTX television, citing the director of West emergency services, George Smith.

“I expect there’s going to be many fatalities and many more injured people,” Mr Smith was quoted as saying.

Videos from the site showed a massive fireball at the plant and flattened buildings in the vicinity. Officials said that between 50 to 75 houses had been damaged.

Volunteers take care of people from a nursing home at an evacuation centre at a local football field. Picture: AP

Photographs online showed a plume of grey smoke billowing into the sky. One picture posted on liveleak.com showed a burning silo.

Mr Wilson said he was shocked by what he saw.

“It was massive just like Iraq ... there was an apartment complex that has about 50 units - it was like a skeleton standing there,” he said.

Photographs of the structure proved he was not exaggerating. The front had been blasted off the entire building, exposing its wooden frame and the contents pulverised inside. Video showed homes for a five block radius around the fertiliser plant smashed like children’s wooden toys. Many of them burned like torches.

Smoke billows into the sky from the explosion. Picture: Liberal Lease/Twitter

Mr Wilson was not the only one using military comparisons to describe the carnage.

“It was like a nuclear bomb went off,” Mayor Tommy Muska said.

Mr Muska said that his city of about 2800 residents needs “your prayers”.

A volunteer fireman, Mr Muska had been at the plant fighting the fire when the explosion occurred. He described how the impact of the blast knocked off his fire helmet and blew out the doors and windows of his home nearby.

He said five or six volunteer firefighters who had been fighting the blaze were unaccounted for. Police said a law enforcement officer was also missing.

“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,” Muska said. “We’re gonna search for everybody. We’re gonna make sure everybody’s accounted for. That’s the most important thing right now.”

He said the main fire was under control as of 11pm, but residents were urged to remain indoors because of the threat of new explosions or leaks of ammonia from the plant’s ruins.

A victim from the explosion is wheeled into Hillcrest Baptist Medical Hospital in Waco. Picture: AP

A member of the city council, Al Vanek, said there was a four-block area around the explosion “that is totally decimated”.

Victims were being treated at about half a dozen sites, Mr Vanek said, and he saw several injured residents from the nursing home being treated at the community centre.

“Tomorrow is going to be a very sad day,” Mr Vanek said.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said state officials were waiting for details about the extent of the damage.

“We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident,” Mr Perry said in a statement. “We have also mobilised State resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first responders on the scene.”

Glenn A Robinson, the chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Centre in Waco, said in an interview on CNN that his hospital had received 66 injured people for treatment, including 38 who were seriously hurt. He said the injuries included blast injuries, orthopedic injuries, large wounds and a lot of lacerations and cuts. The hospital has set up a hotline for families of the victims to get information, he said.

A triage is set up for the injured on an oval. Picture: Mark Koebrich/Twitter