A tragic day for heroes: 11 firefighters and medics confirmed killed at in Texas fertilizer plant blast and at least three more feared dead

April 19, 2013


Huge explosion ripped through a fertilizer plant near the town of West, Texas at 7.50pm on Wednesday

As many as six firefighters who had responded to a fire before the explosion have been reported missing

179 people have been hospitalized and 24 are in critical condition, including children

Mayor: 'We've got a lot of people who are hurt, and there's a lot of people who aren't gonna be here tomorrow'

Records show the plant insisted there was no risk of fire - and it was cited in 2006 for failing to have a permit

The owner, Donald Adair, said no employees were there at the time and he does not know what caused the fire

U.S. Geological Survey: Blast produced ground motion equivalent to that of a magnitude 2.1 earthquake


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