ONE construction worker died and 12 others were injured in a huge
explosion Tuesday afternoon in a building under construction at the rear of a
Hospital in
Texas, officials confirmed during a news conference Tuesday evening in Gatesville.
The explosion was at
Coryell Memorial Hospital that is under construction on Tuesday 2:15pm local time (8:15pm BST), according to the Gatesville Police Department.
Coryell County Commissioners Court confirmed one person died and 12 others are injured.
Ambulances were requested from surrounding towns and cities as at least two area hospitals are on standby and are expecting to recieve injured victims, according to local media.
Twelve patients from the 25-bed Gatesville hospital were evacuated to surroundig hospitals.
Local residents that were evacuated were taken to local churches.
Initial reports said the explosion happened in a building that is currently under construction behind that will house a boiler and chillers.Two nearby nursing faciltilies on site, The Oaks and The Meadows were evacuated.
One witness told KWTX 10: "I got hit in the head by a light fixture, but I’m okay.
“There was an electrical generator on the other side of the building and it just blew up and scattered stuff all over the place.
“We just got everybody we could out of the building.”
Gatesville police have not elaborated on any details regarding the incident other than that they are dealing with a major emergency.
Surrounding streets are closed and witnesses reported plumes of smoke.
Gatesville attorney Tanya Place told KWTX 10: "I was on Levita Road picking up my dogs when I heard this loud noise and by the time I got up to Memorial Drive there were all kinds of police and fire trucks headed that way."
Texas-NM Power have reported that at least 900 homes and businesses have lost power.
The cause of the explosion is unknown.
The area of the explosion is still under constuction and was not housing patients.
Ground was broken in November 2016 for a major renovation and expansion at the hospital.
The 117,000-square foot project includes new operating rooms, a new 25-bed hospital wing, administration offices, a 16-bed rehabilitation facility and a new central plant that houses chillers and boilers.