Tennesse: 19 missing after US explosives plant blast, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis addresses media
19 people are missing and feared dead in an explosion that destroyed an explosives factory in rural Tennessee.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies the military, was one of the worst scenes he’s ever seen.
He did not specify how many people were killed but referred to the 19 missing as “lives” and said authorities were still talking to the family.
“There’s nothing to explain. He’s gone,” Davis said. “The most devastating scene I have ever seen in my career.”
People reported hearing and feeling the explosion from miles away. The company’s website says it manufactures and tests explosives at an eight-building facility spread across forested hills in the Bucksnort area, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville.
Mr. Davis said investigators were trying to determine what happened but could not say what caused the explosion.
Aerial footage captured afterward by WTVF-TV showed the explosion destroyed one of the facility’s overhead buildings, leaving only smoldering debris and burnt vehicle shells.
There was no danger of further explosions and the scene was under control Friday afternoon, according to Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency spokesman Gray Collier.
Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the facility due to ongoing explosions, Hickman County emergency services specialist David Stewart said by phone. He did not provide detailed information about the losses.
Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment Friday morning.
“This is a tragedy for our community,” McEwen Mayor Brad Rachford said in an email. He referred further comments to a county official.
Residents of Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, said they felt their homes shake and some people recorded the violent blast of the explosion on home cameras.
The explosion woke Gentry Stover from his sleep.
“I thought the house collapsed with me inside,” he said by phone. “I live very close to Accurate and about 30 seconds after waking up I realized it had to be this way.”
State Rep. Jody Barrett, a Republican from the neighboring town of Dickson, was concerned about the potential economic impact because the plant is a major employer in the area.
“We live probably 15 miles (24 km) away as the crow flies, and we definitely heard this at home,” Barrett said. “It felt like something was going through the roof of our house.”
