Waco Fertiliser Plant Explosion

Earlier today there was a huge explosion near Waco from a Fertiliser Plant with more than 160 people injured and dozens of homes and buildings destroyed. Emergency services are still going from home to home trying to find survivors and a number of firefighters who had been tackling the huge fire blaze are still missing.

The explosion happened at West Fertiliser on the edge of West, a town of about 2,700 people some 20 miles north of Waco.

Sgt William Swanton of the Waco police department said he could not give an accurate figure of the number of people killed in the explosion - but estimated between five and 15. But with the search still going on, other officials suggested the final toll could be significantly higher. William Swanton also stated that at least 160 people had been treated at various hospitals.

He said the blast site was being treated as a crime scene, but that this was procedural and he had "no indications this was anything other than an accidental fire".