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 measured 2.1 on the richter scale, according to the US geological survey. It was so powerful that a nearby block of flats was destroyed and 130 residents of a local nursing home were injured.
As many as 75 homes were damaged by the blast as well as a local school.
A number of people are also suffering from "respiratory distress due to chemical inhalation".
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.
He told CNN: "It's like a nuclear bomb went off."
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.
"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.
Glenn Robinson, chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Centre, in Waco, told CNN his hospital had received 66 injured people for treatment, including 38 who were seriously hurt.
He said the injuries included blast injuries, orthopedic injuries, large wounds and a lot of lacerations and cuts.
American Red Cross crews from across Texas are being sent to the site.
The explosion comes on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Waco siege - a deadly confrontation between federal authorities and heavily armed locals.
The Dallas Morning News said that the fertiliser company previously reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency and local public safety officials that there was no risk of fire or explosion at the plant.
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