1 A series of explosions tore through the huge Phillips Petroleum Co. plastics plant near here, injuring more than a hundred and closing parts of the Houston Ship Channel.
2 There were no immediate reports of deaths, but officials said a number of workers were still unaccounted for last night.
3 The Bartlesville, Okla., oil company late yesterday still hadn't said officially what caused the explosions and fires, which sent columns of heavy black smoke billowing high into the air.
4 One local Phillips manager said a seal blew in one of the plant's reactors.
5 Glenn Cox, Phillips' president and chief operating officer, and other Phillips officials flew from Bartlesville to assess the damage and determine the cause of the afternoon explosions.
6 In composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Phillips Petroleum shares fell $1.125 to $23.125.
7 The plastics plant is located on an 800-acre tract in the heart of the petrochemical corridor that reaches along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
8 The U.S. Coast Guard closed six miles of the Houston Ship Channel, where about 150 companies have operations, because the thick, black smoke obscured the area.
9 The Port of Houston closed its terminal for handling bulk cargo.
10 Broken water lines and gas leaks hindered firefighters' efforts, but by late yesterday authorities said they had the fire under control.
11 The blasts blew out windows, spewed debris for miles and crumpled the ceiling in an area elementary school.
12 The initial fireball was caught by cameras in downtown Houston, about 10 miles away.
13 Nearby Pasadena, Texas, police reported that 104 people had been taken to area hospitals, but a spokeswoman said that toll could rise.
14 The injured, including three in critical condition, were treated for burns, breathing problems and cuts from flying glass, hospital officials said.
15 The plant employs between 800 and 900 on three shifts.
16 The number working at the time of the blast wasn't known.
17 Yesterday's explosions were the second round in two months at the plastics plant.
18 In late August, four contract workers were injured and one Phillips employee died after an explosion at a fuel supply line near the facility's boiler house.
19 The Phillips facility manufactures polyethylene, polypropylene and K-resin, plastics used in a wide array of applications, including milk jugs and toys.
20 Plastics are the cornerstone of Phillips' chemicals operations, which is the biggest single contributor to the company's profits.

A series of explosions tore through the huge Phillips Petroleum Co . plastics plant near here , injuring more than a hundred and closing parts of the Houston Ship Channel .
injuring
How were the hundred injured?