Mlipuko Mwingine Texas Marekani

 

By Regina Dennis

WEST, Texas (Reuters) - A deadly explosion and fire tore through a fertilizer plant in a small Texas town late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and spewing toxic fumes that forced evacuations of half the community, authorities said.

They said an undetermined number of people had been killed, and that the death toll was expected to rise as search teams combed through the rubble of the West Fertilizer Co. plant and surrounding homes.

"We do have confirmed fatalities," Texas Public Safety Department spokesman D.L. Wilson told a news conference early on Thursday, about four hours after the explosion. "The number is not current yet. It could go up by the minute. We're in there searching the area right now and making sure that it's safe."

Officials said flames that continued to smolder inside the plant posed two threats - the possibility of setting off an explosion of a second fertilizer tank and the emission of hazardous fumes into the surrounding community.
Wilson said about half the town, an area encompassing eight to 10 blocks, had been evacuated and that "we might even have to evacuate on the other side of town" if winds shift overnight as expected.

Mabomu mawili yalipuka kwa mfululizo jana Boston Marekani na kusababisha vifo vya watu wawili na wengine kadhaa kujeruhiwa.

Mlipuko huo ulitokea katika eneo lakumalizia mbio za Marathon ambapo kwa kawaida huwa na watu wengi na milipuko hii imetoka muda mchache tu baada ya mojawapo ya wakimbiaji kupita katika eneo hilo. Bado uchunguzi unaendelea kujua chanzo cha milipuko hiyo.