About 170 motorcycle gang members charged with engaging in organised crime are each being held on a million-dollar bond (€883,000) in the wake of a deadly shootout in Texas, and authorities say capital murder charges are expected.

A shoot-out among rival motorcycle gangs at a popular Texas restaurant left nine bikers dead and 18 injured, and sent panicked patrons and bystanders fleeing for safety.

Rescue workers searched the smouldering ruins of a fertiliser plant for survivors of a monstrous explosion that levelled homes and businesses in every direction across the Texas prairie. As many as 15 people were feared dead and more than 160 others injured.