Race to find survivors after ‘nightmare’ Texas blast
Massive blast at a fertiliser factory killed as many as 15 and destroyed dozens of homes
Rescuers in Texas on Thursday combed through rubble in a painstaking search for survivors after a massive blast at a fertiliser factory killed as many as 15 people and destroyed dozens of homes.
With the country already on edge after the deadly Boston Marathon attacks, the factory exploded on Wednesday with the force of a 2.1-magnitude earthquake, devastating much of the small town of West and sending up a toxic cloud.
On Thursday afternoon, smoke was still billowing out of the plant’s ruins, a nearby house had its roof torn off, and a huge chunk of metal had been dropped in the middle of a corn field.
Authorities said they feared they could find more bodies in the rubble of homes and businesses leveled by the explosion, which may have been sparked by a fire that broke out at the West Fertilizer plant in the southwest US state.
Much of West was evacuated overnight as an acrid cloud hung over the area, and Texas Governor Rick Perry said local schools would remain closed for the remainder of the week.
“Last night was truly a nightmare scenario for that community,” Perry told a news conference in the state capital Austin, announcing that he was seeking a federal disaster declaration that would make additional funds available.
