Updated: Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion Leaves 5-15 Dead, 180 Injured

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An explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant in a small town north of Waco, Texas, has killed an estimated five to 15 people and injured at least 170 persons. Evacuations in the area have been ordered, and officials are hoping that they have seen the worst of the damage.

The explosion and fire took place around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, and reports state that there were nearby apartment units and a nursing home in the area, prompting officials to immediately begin searching for survivors. A local football field was transformed into a triage area, and all rescuers were at the ready to help anyone who needed it.

"We are not indicating that it is a crime, but we don't know," Sgt. William Patrick Swanton of the Waco Police Department told ABC. "What that means to us is that until we know that it is an industrial accident, we will work it as a crime scene. ATF [the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] is conducting the main investigation." Read more

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