An explosion at a chemical plant on the outskirts of Boston tore apart houses and businesses while injuring about 10 people and destroying 25 homes.
The blast, just before 3 a.m. ET, was felt kilometres away from the CAI Inc. plant in Danvers, about 32 kilometres north of Boston.
Officials at Beverly Hospital in the town of 25,000 said they treated about 10 people for minor injuries.
"The miracle is you have the equivalent of a 2,000-pound bomb going off in a residential neighbourhood at night when everybody is home, and no one's dead and no one is seriously injured," said Gov. Mitt Romney.
Television footage from the scene showed houses partially blown apart and debris scattered around. Officials said 25 homes were destroyed, with about 65 others also suffering damage.
Buildings were silhouetted in orange flames and smoke as police prevented anyone from approaching the plant, which makes solvents and inks, and was empty at the time.
The blast knocked out electricity to the area, which, according to one resident, looked like it had been bombed. Another resident said he was knocked out of his chair when it happened.
"I was in bed and then [the] next thing I knew, I was on my feet. I saw the flames and grabbed my clothes. My first thought was that an airplane crashed," said Paul O'Donnell, an aircraft mechanic.
Officials said it could take weeks to determine the cause of the blast.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/11/22/explosion-boston.html?ref=rss
