Houston: The death toll in the massive fertilizer plant explosion in Texas has risen to 14, with US investigators announcing they had nearly finished search and rescue efforts. Two days after the West Fertilizer Company fertilizer facility exploded in the US town of West, Texas, the residents were grappling with the tragedy. "It's going to be a long recovery for this community," Governor Rick Perry said on Friday.
The death toll rose to 14, which included the city secretary, who was also on the city of West's 29-member volunteer fire department, said Mayor Tommy Muska, also a volunteer firefighter. In total, five West firefighters died battling the blaze, along with one Dallas firefighter and four emergency responders, the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas said on Thursday.
"It's devastating. I've been a member of the firefighters for 26 years," Muska said. "These guys are my friends." The explosion tore through the roof of West Fertilizer Company, charring much of the structure and sending massive flames into the air late Wednesday night. President Barack Obama issued an emergency declaration and pledged federal disaster relief aid to help West recover.
The explosion caused a 2.1-magnitude earthquake. It also destroyed many homes in the small town of 2,800. Many, including Muska, were staying in hotels or with friends. The destruction made it hard to account for exactly how many people had been displaced, McLennan County Judge Scott Felton said on Friday. He estimated that 99 per cent of
04:48 PM, Apr 20, 2013
West Texas: Police in Texas say between five and 15 people were killed in a fertilizer plant explosion that also injured more than 160 others. Waco police Sgt William Patrick Swanton said on early Thursday morning that the death toll is only an estimate as search and rescue operations remain under way in downtown West. An explosion on Wednesday night shook the ground with the strength of a small earthquake...
03:39 PM, Apr 18, 2013
Waco: A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco on Wednesday killed two and injured more than 100 people, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin and leveling buildings for blocks in every direction. The explosion at West Fertilizer in West, a community about 20 miles north of Waco, happened shortly before 8 pm (local time) and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, 45 miles to the north....
08:09 AM, Apr 18, 2013
The Kelkar panel on Friday said that India was on the edge of a 'fiscal precipice' and that it should urgently slash fuel, food and fertilizer subsidies to cut its fiscal deficit. A wary government, however, said that certain levels of subsidies were unavoidable. The report goes on to add that the current deficit level of 5.1 per cent could balloon up to 6.1 per cent if nothing is done, ...
08:34 AM, Sep 29, 2012
Gangtok: Sikkim, which started eco-friendly farming from a small area of land about a decade ago, is set to become a fully organic state by 2015, a senior state official has said. "The entire state will be converted into a certified organic state by 2015. Our schemes and policies are well tuned to realise that goal," Sikkim Agriculture Secretary Vishal Chauhan said in Gangtok. According to him, structured organic farming...
08:54 PM, Aug 20, 2012
New Delhi: Concerned over the misuse of subsidies provided under various schemes, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the government will provide a direct cash subsidy on kerosene and fertilisers to the poor from March next year. "To ensure greater cost efficiency and better delivery for both kerosene and fertilizer, the government will move toward direct transfer of cash subsidy for people below poverty line (BPL) in a phased...
12:32 PM, Feb 28, 2011
Hambantota: Nuwan Kulasekara has been ruled out of the rest of the five-match One-Day International series against India after he picked up a groin injury during the first ODI on Saturday. Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's captain said after the match, Nuwan picked up a groin injury today, and has been ruled out of the series. We will talk to the selectors about a replacement. Kulasekara injured himself while attempting to ...
11:53 AM, Jun 11, 2008
Commercial grade ammonium nitrate is enough to make a crude bomb that can be hidden in a toothpaste tube. ...
01:16 PM, Aug 18, 2006
