A powerful nuclear bomb- like explosion rocked a small Texas town in downtown west killing as much as 15 people and leaving 160 severely injured. The blast brought down dozens of homes with it.
The explosion occurred 20 miles North of Waco around 7 p.m. and was heard around 45 miles away aa Waxahachie, in the North. The flames rose high in the sky during the night and showered burning embers, shrapnel and debris down on shocked and horrified residents.
The blast was so powerful that it shook the houses, which were situated 50 miles away from the blast. The exact reason for the explosion could not be known immediately. The location of the plant was critical as it was situated near an apartment complex, a nursing home and a middle school. The blast was so severe that it blew off the apartment complex with only structure remaining. The 50 floors of the complex were blown along with windows and doors. The nursing home was vacated bringing out all 133 residents. The blast measured 2.1 magnitude seismic events as per data of the United States Geological Survey.
“There are a lot of people that got hurt,” West Mayor Tommy Muska forewarned Wednesday night. “There are a lot of people that will not be here tomorrow.”
The authorities following the bomb blast evacuated half of the residents out of the total 2800.
There was no exact record of deaths, and different officials provided their own versions ranging from 5 to 15 people who have died in the tragic explosion. Sgt. William Patrick Swanton of the nearby Waco Police Department, said that the toll can be in the range of five to 15 people. However, according to George Smith, the emergency management system director of the city said the death toll could rise up to 60 to 70 people.
The officials even after evacuating half of the community were in constant fear that another tank at the plant may also explode. There were a large number of emergency vehicles covering the area after the blast. The fire continued for many hours in the ruins of the plant after the blast and also in the nearby buildings and area.
The main fire could be controlled only around 11 pm according to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L. Wilson, but officials requested that residents should remain inside their houses to avoid the harm of any potential new explosion or leaks of ammonia from the ruins of the plants.
Video credit: CNN.
