This is the moment an explosion rips through a fertilizer plant in Texas, leaving up to 15 dead and over 160 injured.

UP SOUND CHILD SPEAKING

Police estimate between five and fifteen people were killed.

The amateur footage shows the West Fertilizer Company plant on fire shortly before the blast.

The video was shot on a mobile phone by a man watching the flames with a young child in the back seat.

Authorities said the blast leveled dozens of homes and spewed toxic fumes into the air, forcing the evacuation of half of the community.

The town of West is home to some 2,700 people and lies about 20 miles north of Waco.

The death toll is expected to rise as search teams comb through the rubble.