Here is a first-hand account of the Chemical Factory Explosion south of Toulouse, France
on Friday which killed up to 20 people from my sister, Lois, who lives about 30 km from the
site of the explosion.
The National seismic center in Strassbourg has identified this explosion as equivalent
to a Ml 3.4 earthquake with the following parameters:

20010921 08:17:56.77 43.54 N 1.45 E Ml 3.4 S TOULOUSE(31)

"The city of Toulouse is completely upset since last friday. Michel and I
were talking with friends in the kitchen when the kitchen doors opened all
of a sudden, we felt the ground trembling, and heard the explosion.
People who lived nearer saw their roofs sucked in, then go back to normal.
Windows are broken everywhere, and many people were hurt by flying glass.
There are reported 29 dead and 2500 hurt, 30 of which are hurt very
seriously.
One man from our church was at work close to the chemical plant. He went
across the room to get a tool, and the roof caved in right where he had been
standing a minute before. He had to wade through 3 feet of broken building
before he could help the others who had been hurt. He says the Lord saved
his life.
Many people are homeless and living in the streets, since the buildings are
dangerous. Others have to repair their homes and apartements.
All the children were sent home from school, and we were asked to stay in
our homes closed in, to avoid breathing the air, since there was a toxic
mushroom cloud filled with chemicals from the plant. For two days it's been
raining on and off, I guess there's some of the chemicals in that rain.
The water purification factory for Toulouse was close to the chemical plant,
so we're told to not drink the tap water since it's been polluted.
As for the Viguiers, everyone is fine. David's school is downtown, and they
brought all the young people to the basement with gas masks, since the
windows were broken."