Rescuers in the southern U.S. state of Texas have
recovered 14 bodies while continuing to search for survivors in the ruins of a
small town where a fertilizer plant exploded with the force of a small
earthquake.
Residents in the farm town of West, Texas, say
several of those killed in the Wednesday night explosion were firefighters and
paramedics who went to the industrial site as a fire that preceded the enormous
blast broke out.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who toured the blast site
Friday, told The Dallas Morning News at least 11 emergency responders remained
missing and were presumed dead, and that 60 people were unaccounted for.
Local officials said they expected to find more
bodies as they search about 80 houses destroyed in the explosion.
Investigators remained concerned Friday about
potentially dangerous chemicals at the site. A National Guard team has been
dispatched to monitor for hazardous emissions.
Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday called the
situation a "truly nightmare scenario." He said much of the
information on the victims remains "very preliminary."
Authorities are still working to determine how the
initial fire started, and whether it detonated the explosion. Patrick Swanton,
spokesman for the nearby Waco police department, said the site is being treated
as a crime scene, but insisted there is no evidence to suggest it was anything
other than an accident.
A nearby high school football field was turned into
an emergency staging area to treat the victims. West's 2,800 residents were
evacuated.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the massive
explosion registered as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake. It was felt up to 80
kilometers away.
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/rescuers-recover-14-bodies-from-texas-blast-site/1645355.html
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