ANKARA
Police on Wednesday said between 5 and 15 people were believed to be killed in a powerful explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas in the United States, and more than 160 people were injured.
The devastating blast at West Fertilizer in the town of West sent a huge flames and a cloud of smoke up into the air and the explosion was so powerful that it registered a magnitude 2.1 Seismic event, according to the US Geological Survey.
Police, however, underlined that search and rescue efforts were still underway and the number of fatalities may rise.
"It was as powerful as a nuclear bomb. All we could see in the air was a cloud of smoke. We have a lot of people who are hurt, and there is a lot of people, I'm sure, who aren't going to be here tomorrow," Tommy Muska, Texas governor, said.
Muska said the fertilizer plant was close to a residential area and many buildings around the factory have been destroyed or badly damaged including a school and a nursing house.
Cause of the explosion was not immediately known but police said there was no sign which would indicate that the explosion was anything other than an accident.
Earlier, local KWTX Channel 10 said at least 60 people were killed in the blast but the report was not confirmed.
