Authorities were still calling the blast site a crime scene though they said they strongly suspected an accident.
Reuters reported that accoding to the authorities:
“There was no indication of foul play in the fire or the blast it triggered Wednesday night at West Fertilizer Co, a privately owned retail facility that was last inspected two years ago.”
The explosion badly damaged or destroyed nearly 175 homes and other buildings, including a fifty unit apartment complex, a nursing home and schools.
Dozens more homes were reported to have been damaged.
The remains of a fertilizer plant smolder after a massive explosion in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Stone
The West Fertilizer Co. plant in West, Texas, is pictured in this October 19, 2012 satellite photo courtesy of Google Earth. REUTERS/Google Earth/Handout
An aerial view shows investigators walking through the aftermath of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18, 2013. The death toll in the explosion at the plant has reached 14 people, Mayor Tommy Muska said on Thursday. Among the 14 are four emergency medical technicians killed in the blast, which occurred on Wednesday evening after emergency responders rushed to put out a fire at the plant. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE)
Smoke rises from the scene of an explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. plant in West, Texas in this April 18, 2103 still image from video courtesy of NBCDFW TV. REUTERS/NBCDFW-NBC/Handout
The remains of a fertilizer plant smolder after a massive explosion in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Stone
Police and rescue workers stand near a building which was left destroyed from a massive explosion at a nearby fertilizer plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18, 2013. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
An aerial view shows the aftermath of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18, 2013.REUTERS/Adrees Latif
In this Instagram photo provided by Andy Bartee, a plume of smoke rises from a fertilizer plant fire in West, Texas on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. An explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting high into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin and causing major damage to surrounding buildings. (AP Photo/Andy Bartee) MANDATORY CREDIT: ANDY BARTEE
A massive explosion hit the West Fertilizer Co. plant some 18 miles north of Waco, Texas on Wednesday, April 17, 2013.
CNN reported that:
“The Wednesday night blast shook houses 50 miles away and measured as a 2.1-magnitude seismic event, according to the United States Geological Survey”.
At least 160 people were injured in this massive blast.
So far they are not sure how many people were killed but at least up to 15 people were reportedly killed including two emergency medical personnel.
West Mayor Tommy Muska forewarned on Wednesday night:
“There are a lot of people that got hurt. There are a lot of people that will not be here tomorrow.”
“It was like a nuclear bomb went off,” said West Mayor Tommy Muska.
It is said that 10 to 15 buildings have been totally demolished and probably 50 homes were heavily damaged.
People expect more to be found dead because this is a very big one and some people might still be trapped in collapsed buildings.
Yahoo News reported that, Texas Public Safety Department spokesman D.L. Wilson said about half the town, about eight to 10 blocks, had been evacuated and that “we might even have to evacuate on the other side of town” if winds shifted.
The cause of the explosion is not immediately known.
It is really sad and scary to see another huge explosion just two days after the ones in Boston.
Please click the photos for larger images:
Vehicles are seen near the remains of a fertilizer plant burning after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
A Fertilizer Plant Just Exploded near Waco, Texas. Yahoo News
A column of smoke rises after an explosion at a fertilizer plant north of Waco, Texas April 17, 2013. REUTERS/Joe Berti/Twitter
A person looks on as emergency workers fight a house fire after a nearby fertilizer plant exploded Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in West, Texas. A massive explosion at the fertilizer plant near Waco on Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin following a blast that damaged buildings for blocks in every direction. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte)
In this Instagram photo provided by Andy Bartee, a plume of smoke rises from a fertilizer plant fire in West, Texas on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. An explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting high into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin and causing major damage to surrounding buildings. (AP Photo/Andy Bartee) MANDATORY CREDIT: ANDY BARTEE
An elderly person is assisted at a staging area at a local school stadium following an explosion at a fertilizer plant Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in West, Texas. An explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco caused numerous injuries and sent flames shooting high into the night sky on Wednesday. (AP Photo/ Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte)
Elderly persons from a nearby nursing home are triaged in a parking lot before being moved to a school stadium following a fertilizer plant explosion Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in West, Texas. The explosion near Waco Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting high into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin and causing major damage to surrounding buildings. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte)
Persons are seen pushing wheel chairs in front of a damaged nursing home following an explosion at a nearby fertilizer plant Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in West, Texas. An explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco caused numerous injuries and sent flames shooting high into the night sky on Wednesday.(AP Photo/ Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte)
The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
A chemical trailer sits among the remains of a fertilizer plant burning after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
Smoke rises as water is sprayed at the burning remains of a fertilizer plant after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. REUTERS/Mike Stone
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