Thursday, April 18, 2013

Videos- West Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion May Have Killed Dozens

By Susan Duclos

The videos below are raw raw footage of the explosion at a fertilizer plant in West Texas, just north of Waco where 5 to 15 people are confirmed dead, hundreds injured and officials fully expect the death toll to increase to between 60 and 70 people, including firefighters and police that responded to the fire before the explosion.

Reports coming out say this leveled a significant portion of the town of West, Texas.

Dallas News:

A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant rocked the town of West, north of Waco, causing multiple casualties and leaving people trapped and buildings on fire.

Emergency personnel were bracing for the possibility of dozens of dead in the blast, which was reported at 7:53 p.m. and could be heard 45 miles away in Waxahachie.

Although authorities confirmed that at least five to 15 people had died, shortly before 5 a.m. they were still saying they did not have an official total. They have said they expect to find more bodies as they continue to search the area.

West's EMS director, Dr. George Smith, confirmed after 4 a.m. that two emergency personnel had been killed in the explosion, which occurred at West Fertilizer Co., just off Interstate 35, about 80 miles south of Dallas.

Smith said he could not yet confirm whether three to five firefighters and one police officer who have been reported as missing had died.

Officials said more than 160 people had been treated for injuries at various hospitals, but that number could continue to climb as emergency personnel search for survivors at 5 a.m.
A blaze had broken out earlier at the plant, and the explosion occurred while firefighters were trying to put it out.






More from KWTX:

Rescuers were conducting another door-to-door search early Thursday for the living and the dead in areas damaged by a massive fertilizer plant explosion in West that left more than 100 injured and may have killed dozens.

As of 4:45, officials say five to fifteen people are believed to be dead.

Six firefighters and two paramedics are confirmed dead and seven nursing home residents were missing after the blast according to West EMS Director Dr. George Smith, who said earlier Wednesday night as many as 60 or 70 people may have died in the blast.

One police officer was also still reporting missing.

Smith said early Thursday morning he expects more bodies will be found during the search of damaged and destroyed homes.