


A large number of people have been reported injured, though the number of those killed in the explosion, if any, has not yet been officially released. Local hospitals have been flooded with patients and the state government is mobilizing emergency aid for the area.

Firefighters were putting out a blaze at the plant when the explosion occurred. Since the explosion, officials have been evacuating buildings and homes in the surrounding area.

The explosion reached a local nursing home and some people may have been trapped inside.

"It was a like a nuclear bomb went off," Mayor Tommy Muska told CNN. "Big old mushroom cloud. There are a lot of people that got hurt. There are a lot of people that will not be here tomorrow."

West Mayor Pro-tem Steve Vanek told the Waco Tribune, when asked about the status of the firefighters who were battling the fire when the explosion took place: “I fear for the worst, but I’m praying for the best.”

Footage of plant explosion [language warning]

 Local news coverage