The blast at West Fertiliser plant was reported shortly before 8pm local time, APA reports quoting The Sydney Morning Herald. The Emergency Medical Services director in the town of West, Dr George Smith, told the local KWTX station as many as 60 or 70 people had died and hundreds were injured in the blast on Wednesday night.
The cause was not immediately known but it was an anhydrous ammonia explosion sparked by a fire. Fire had spread from the plant to a junior high school, a nursing home and several other houses. An explosion has ignited adjacent structures to the plant. Rescue efforts were being hampered due to hazardous chemicals in the air following the explosion.