No survivors found after blast at Tennessee explosives factory, sheriff says
A blast in the US state of Tennessee that levelled an explosives plant and was felt for miles around left no survivors, authorities said.
The total number of dead was unclear, as was the cause of the blast on Friday. By the weekend the devastation came into focus, with officials saying they had found no survivors.
“There’s a gauntlet of emotions there,” said Humphreys County sheriff Chris Davis during a news conference, pausing to clear his throat before he asked for prayers for the families of the victims in a shaky voice.
“We’ve recovered no survivors,” he added.
Mr Davis said on Friday that 18 people were missing and on Saturday said it could be assumed anyone who was inside the building is deceased.
State officials brought in a “rapid DNA” team to help identify the remains of people recovered at the site.
The explosion left a smouldering wreck of twisted metal and burned-out vehicles at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, which supplies and researches explosives for the military.
Mr Davis said about 300 emergency responders are working in a “slow, methodical method” as they deal with explosive material that has been damaged and remains volatile.
An ambulance and a helicopter used for air evacuations were brought in, for the safety of first responders.
“It’s not like working an accident. It’s not like working a tornado. We’re dealing with explosions. And I would say at this time, we’re dealing with remains,” he said.
Guy McCormick, a supervisory special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said explosive specialists and bomb technicians are trying to make the area safe before national ATF investigators arrive. He said the nature of the scene can change because of the heat and pressure caused by the explosion.
Mr Davis said it could be days, weeks or even months before foul play is ruled out.
The site is located in a heavily wooded area of rural Tennessee, between the economically vital Tennessee River to the west and the bustling metropolis of Nashville to the east.
Modest homes dot the wooded landscape, residences belonging to “good old country people,” as local man Terry Bagsby put it.
Near the site, someone had made a sign that read “Pray for the AES families” and several vigils were planned on Saturday, in addition to a candlelight gathering on Friday night.
Mr Bagsby, 68, said people in the close-knit community are “very, very sad”.
He said he knows people who worked at the site and are missing.
The company’s website says it processes explosives and ammunition at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills in the Bucksnort area, about 60 miles south-west of Nashville.
It is not immediately known how many people work at the plant or how many were there when the explosion happened.
Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, said in a post on social media on Friday that “thoughts and prayers” are with the families and community impacted.
“We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions,” the post said.
The company has been awarded numerous military contracts, largely by the US army and navy, to supply different types of munitions and explosives, according to public records. The products range from bulk explosives to landmines and small breaching charges, including C4.
When the explosion occurred, residents in Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, said they felt their homes shake, and some people captured the loud boom of the explosion on their home cameras.
The blast rattled Gentry Stover from his sleep.
“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” he told the Associated Press. “I live very close to Accurate and I realised about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”
Tennessee governor Bill Lee posted on the social media platform X that he is monitoring the situation and asked “Tennesseans to join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident”.
A small group gathered for a vigil on Friday night at a nearby park, clutching candles as they prayed for the missing and their families and sang Amazing Grace.
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