A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco in Texas on Wednesday injured dozens of people and killed an unknown number of others, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin and leveling buildings for blocks in every direction, news agencies reported. The explosion at West Fertilizer in the town of West, some 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Dallas, happened around 7 p.m. local time and could be heard as far as 45 miles (72 kilometers) away. It sent flames shooting high into the night sky, and rained burning embers, shrapnel and debris down on shocked and frightened residents. A member of the city council, Al Vanek, said a four-block area around the explosion was "totally decimated." Other witnesses compared the scene to that of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and authorities said the plant made materials similar to that used to fuel the bomb that tore apart that city's Murrah Federal Building. Although authorities said it will be some time before they know the full extent of the loss of life, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L. Wilson said just after midnight that an unknown number of people had died and more than 100 were injured. West Mayor Tommy Muska told reporters that his city of about 2,800 residents needs "your prayers." A search for survivors continued throughout the night, as emergency workers went house to house and business to business looking for people trapped in the rubble. "We've got a lot of people who are hurt, and there's a lot of people, I'm sure, who aren't gonna be here tomorrow," Muska said. "We're gonna search for everybody. We're gonna make sure everybody's accounted for. That's the most important thing right now."
