Factory explosion in Tennessee

The explosion in rural Tennessee that destroyed an explosives factory and was felt for miles around left no survivors, authorities said Saturday.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at a news conference that officials were assuming everyone at the site was dead. The total number of people who died is unclear, as is the cause of the explosion.

Davis earlier said 18 people were missing.

“We didn’t recover any survivors,” Davis said.

Friday morning’s explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military, scattered debris for at least half a mile (800 meters) and was felt by residents more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, Davis said.

Aerial footage Friday showed the company’s hilltop location burning and smoky, with just a mass of twisted metal, charred car shells and a patchwork of debris left behind.

Davis, who described it as one of the worst scenes he had ever seen, said authorities were investigating the site and still working to recover those killed.

“It’s not like working on an accident. It’s not like working on a tornado. We’re dealing with explosions. And I would say right now we’re dealing with remnants,” he said.

Getting seemingly emotional at times, Davis said there has been an outpouring of support for the community, located in a heavily forested area of ​​middle Tennessee between the economically vital Tennessee River and the bustling metropolis of Nashville.

On Saturday, signs near the site asked for prayers for the families.

Terry Bagsby, 68, is retired but helps run the register at a gas station near the site. He said members of the close-knit community are “very, very sad.”

He said he knew people who worked at the site who were missing.

“I don’t know how to explain it. … Just a lot of grief.”

The company’s website says it processes explosives and munitions in an eight-building facility that sprawls across forested hills in the Bucksnort area, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville. It was not immediately clear how many people work at the factory or how many were present when the explosion occurred.

Davis said investigators were trying to determine what happened and couldn’t say what caused the explosion.

Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, said in a social media post Friday that its “thoughts and prayers” were with the affected families and community.

“We express our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions,” the message said.

An explosion wakes residents from their sleep

The company has won numerous military contracts, largely with the U.S. Army and Navy, to supply different types of munitions and explosives, according to public records. Products range from bulk explosives to landmines and small breach charges, including C4.

When the explosion occurred, residents of Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, reported feeling their homes shake, and some people filmed the loud noise of the explosion on their home cameras.

The explosion woke Gentry Stover from his sleep.

“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside,” he told the Associated Press. “I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after waking up that this must be it.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said on the social platform

A small group gathered for a vigil Friday evening in a nearby park, holding candles while praying for the missing and their families and singing “Amazing Grace.”

The United States has a long history of fatal workplace accidents, including the Monongah coal mine explosion that killed 362 men and boys in West Virginia in 1907. Several high-profile industrial accidents in the 1960s led President Richard Nixon to sign legislation creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration the following year.

In 2019, Accurate Energetic Systems faced several small fines from the U.S. Department of Labor for violating policies intended to protect workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals, radiation and other irritants, according to OSHA citations.

In 2014, an explosion occurred at another munitions facility in the same small community, killing one person and injuring at least three others.