Texas Plant Blast Leaves Multiple Casualties

A massive fertilizer plant explosion near Waco, Texas injured hundreds and may have killed dozens, KWTX, the Texas news station reported.

Firefighters and rescue units have already been mobilized in the affected areas.

According to Department of Safety spokesman Dean Wilson, the blast destroyed a 50-unit apartment building and a nearby nursing home. The residents were evacuated but Wilson confirmed several injuries.

Rescuers will continue the door-to-door search overnight in areas most affected by the blast, KWTX reported.

The explosion happened in West, a town with the population of 2,700 some 20 miles north of Waco. The cause of the explosion is still not verified as of today but is suspected to be due to an ammonia explosion.

TV footages show ambulance crews using a nearby field as an emergency treatment area for victims of the blast.

Glenn A. Robinson, top executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, Texas initially told CNN that the hospital was receiving patients from orthopedic injuries to those who are having severe blood loss.

Sources: skynews.com.au, bbc.co.uk, kwtx.com