[NEW UPDATE] Texas Explosion: Shocked Residents Allowed To Return Home
A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant rocked the small town of West, Texas, late Wednesday (18 Apr) night, leaving hundreds of people reportedly injured & many feared dead. The scope of the destruction is at this point hard to determine, but could be significant. The number of injured and dead stand at a current of 160 and 35 but cannot be confirmed. "Follow this story" for updates.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Apr 2013, 12:37 PM — Updated about 11 years ago
21 April: Residents allowed home
After days of waiting, the first group of residents who fled their homes when a Texas fertilizer plant exploded in a blinding fireball were allowed to go home Saturday to find out what remained.
Those returning home have been told they will be subject to a curfew and required to be inside their homes by 7 p.m. every night. Many of the town's 2,800 residents have been displaced.
"Everything is safe. Any rumors you've heard today, forget about it," West City Council member Steve Vanek said at a news conference today. "Everything is safe, safe and safe."
go.comThe destruction made it hard to account for exactly how many people had been displaced. McLennan County Judge estimated that 99% of people originally thought to be missing had been accounted for.
cnn.comBut, he added: "You can see hope in the eyes of the rescue workers. You can see already the community working to get itself back together."
guardian.co.uk
Officials now number the dead from a Central Texas fertilizer plant explosion at 14, while residents attempt to recover some semblance of normalcy in the 2,800-person town of West.
foxnews.com
19 April: Texas explosion number of casualties increases
The Texas blast devastated a large section of West, leveling buildings & leaving more that 160 people injured. Several firefighters are missing.
guardian.co.uk
As many as 35 people, including 10 first responders, died in the massive explosion, Mayor Tommy Muska said, according to USA Today.
cnn.comThe number included five volunteer fire fighters, four emergency responders and an off-duty fire fighter from Dallas who lived in West, the mayor told the newspaper.
cnn.comRescue workers were picking through the devastation but authorities warned that the number of victims could rise, "It's going to take time before we can say that everyone is accounted for."
guardian.co.uk
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives sent a national response team that includes fire investigators, explosive experts, chemists & canine units to the site.
foxnews.com
Updates and what we know about the explosion
@dannysullivan: Map showing plant, nearby nursing home & more in West, Texas from @wfaachannel8
Image via twimg.com
@TitansHomer: 2h Photo of Apartment Complex near West Texas Explosion. Devastating.
Image via twimg.com
@NewsChannel 25: Here is a viewer's picture of the explosion. Courtesy of Sam Gilbertson.
Image via twimg.com
Some 10 to 15 buildings have been "totally demolished" and "probably 50 homes (were) heavily damaged," said George Smith, community emergency medical services director.
cnn.comFirefighters at the scene of a massive fertilizer plant explosion in Texas were concerned Wednesday night about anhydrous ammonia.
cnn.comAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anhydrous ammonia is a pungent gas with suffocating fumes that is used as a fertilizer.
cnn.comThe fertilizer plant was near an apartment complex and a nursing home, authorities said. Some people might be trapped in collapsed buildings, Smith said.
cnn.comHundreds believed injured in Texas fertilizer plant blast
An elderly person is assisted at a staging area at a school stadium following an explosion at a fertiliser plant in Texas.
Image via thehindu.comTwo days after the Boston terror attack rattled the United States, a major explosion hit a Fertiliser plant near Waco in Texas on Wednesday night, killing many and injuring more than 100.
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 school and nursing home
yahoo.comSome 5-15 people were killed in the blast, AFP quoted a Texas Radio station KWTX report, which was citing the local emergency manager. However, the death toll isn't confirmed.
The explosion at the plant in West, a town just north of Waco, occurred shortly before 8 p.m. CT, according to reports
businessinsider.com