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The explosion rocked a dairy farm in Texas, USA, 18,000 cows were roasted to death. Photos/BBC
WASHINGTON – About 18,000 cows die in an explosion at a Texas dairy farm, United States of America (US) earlier this week. This was disclosed by local authorities.
The explosion which occurred at South Fork Dairy near the town of Dimmitt also left one person in critical condition.
Authorities believe that an engine at the facility may have ignited the methane gas.
The Castro County Sheriff’s Office said they had received a report of a fire on the farm at around 7:21 pm on Monday local time.
Photos posted by the Sheriff’s Office showed a black plume of smoke rising from the ground.
When police and emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they found one trapped person who had to be rescued and flown to a hospital in critical condition.
While the exact number of cows that have died from the fire and smoke is still unknown, the Sheriff’s Office told the BBC an estimated 18,000 head of cattle have gone missing.
Speaking to local news outlet KFDA, Sheriff Sal Rivera said that most of the cattle had gone missing after the blaze spread to an area where the cows were penned before being taken to a milking area and then to a holding pen.
“There are some survivors,” he was quoted as saying. “There are some who may be injured to the point where they need to be destroyed,” he added.