A fertiliser plant near the Texas city of Waco has exploded. While its unclear how many people have died at this stage, reports suggest that hundreds have been injured. A video capturing the blast has landed, quickly going viral.
The video shows an unidentified man (along with a second individual who self-identifies as his child) sitting in his car filming the plant while it was still ablaze, from what seems like a safe distance. At about 30 seconds into the video, the plant explodes and seems to impact the car.
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According to the Associated Press, the explosion went off before 8 pm Texas time and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, 45 miles to the north. According to one member of the city council, a four block area around the explosion was “totally decimated.”
Warning: the footage is of a graphic nature and some may find it disturbing.
Among the damaged buildings were 50 to 75 houses, an apartment complex with about 50 units that Wilson said was reduced to “a skeleton,” a middle school and the West Rest Haven Nursing Home, from which first-responders evacuated 133 patients, some in wheelchairs.
At this stage its unclear what caused the blast, although some think it might be down to a fault in one of the plant’s systems.
A number of people have taken to Twitter to share images of the blast and its immediate aftermath.
The pictures coming in from the Ground of #WestTX are unbelievable. Daylight will bring a whole new horror to this. twitter.com/PatriotLemonad…
— Patriot Lemonade (@PatriotLemonade) April 18, 2013
This explosion was serious, please #PrayForWest #WestTX
