Report: 262 People Hurt In West Fertilizer Blast

WACO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A health report on the impact of the West fertilizer plant explosion says 262 people were injured in the blast.

That's in addition to the 15 people killed by the April 17, 2013, explosion.

The report was released Tuesday by the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

About 20 percent of the injured suffered concussions or traumatic brain injury. Other common injuries included hearing, vision and breathing problems.

Seventy-two people were injured in the West Rest Haven nursing home adjacent to the West Fertilizer Co. The explosion caved in a portion of the home.

The report acknowledges it doesn't include injured people who sought private care or may have been otherwise missed.

In April, federal investigators called the fertilizer plant explosion preventable and said it should never have happened. Chemical Safety Board investigators said a disconnect between federal and state agencies is partly to blame for the blast.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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