A number of people have been killed and hundreds injured after an explosion at a fertiliser plant in Texas.
The blast happened in West, near Waco. More than half of the town has been evacuated.
It was so powerful a nearby block of flats was destroyed and a number of residents of a local nursing home were injured.
A plume of smoke rises up after the explosion Pic: KWTX-TV As many as 75 homes were damaged by the blast as well as a local school.
Officials have said firefighters have stopped trying to tackle the blaze as there are fears of another explosion.
The explosion happened shortly before 8pm local time on Wednesday and could be heard as far away as 45 miles.
Tommy Muska, West's mayor, said a number of firefighters are unaccounted for.
This image shows the initial blast Pic: KWTX-TV Texas Governor Rick Perry said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first responders on the scene."
Debby Marak told The Associated Press she noticed a lot of smoke coming from the area across town near the plant, which is near a nursing home.
She said she drove over to see what was happening, and when she got out of her car two boys ran towards her screaming that officials told them to leave because the plant was going to explode.
Moments later the blast happened.
The injured are treated at a nearby sports field "It was like being in a tornado," the 58-year-old said. "Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew out my windshield.
"It was like the whole earth shook."
Police officers have reportedly been transporting the injured to local hospitals in their patrol cars.
As many as a dozen helicopters have been sent to the West High School stadium where ambulances are waiting to transport victims to hospitals.
Local media reports claim firefighters had been trying to put out a fire at the plant when the explosion happened.
A number are believed to have been injured.
The explosion in the town of West comes on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Waco siege - a deadly confrontation between federal authorities and heavily armed locals.
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