America
18,000 cows killed in Texas farm explosion
An explosion, the origin of which is still unknown, hit a dairy farm in Texas on Tuesday and killed more than 18,000 cows.
Updated
The Castro County Sheriff said a barnyard composting system “may have overheated.”
AFP
About 18,000 cows have died and one person has been injured in an explosion at a dairy farm in the southern US state of Texas, officials said Thursday.
“This is the deadliest cattle ranch fire in Texas history, and investigation and resolution will take time,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a press release. An explosion and fire destroyed a Southfork dairy farm located near the town of Dimmitt in the Panhandle, Texas, overnight Monday into Tuesday.
“Terrible”
Firefighters and police rushed to the scene and “found one person trapped inside”. The Castro County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that the farm worker was rescued and airlifted to a hospital. The origin of the explosion and fire has not been determined, said Sid Miller, who called the event “horrific.”
“Once we know the cause and facts of this tragedy, we will ensure that the public is fully informed so that similar tragedies can be avoided in the future,” he added. Castro County Sheriff Saul Rivera told CBS Amarillo that a barnyard composting system “may have overheated.”
Methane “may have ignited and then spread with an explosion and fire,” he added, noting that an investigation had been launched.
(AFP)
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