18 still missing after blast at Tennessee military explosives plant

A blast explosives plant Friday in rural Tennessee, leaving behind a mass of twisted metal, burnt-out shells of cars and at least 18 people missing and feared dead, authorities said.

“There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said of the site at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military.

He said it was one of worst scenes he’s ever seen and especially gut wrenching because he knows three families connected to the tragedy.

Davis said multiple people were killed but declined to say how many.

Officials originally said 19 people were missing, but by Friday night said one who was believed to be on site was found safe at home.

The blast occurred at about 7:45 a.m. local time, Davis said. Aerial footage showed the company’s hilltop location smoldering and smoky. Debris was scattered over at least a half-mile area and people more than 24 kilometres away felt the explosion, he said.

Multiple fatalities after Tennessee plant explosion

The Accurate Energetic Systems munitions factory in McEwen, Tenn., was levelled on Friday morning, killing multiple people and leaving many still unaccounted for. The cause of the initial blast isn’t yet known.

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 97 kilometres southwest of Nashville.

It’s not immediately known how many people worked at the plant or how many were there when the explosion happened.

Davis said investigators are trying to determine what happened and couldn’t say what caused the explosion. Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the plant because of continuing detonations, Hickman County advanced EMT David Stewart said by phone.

By Friday afternoon, there was no further danger of explosions, and the scene was under control, according to Grey Collier, a spokesperson for the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency.

Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, Tenn., said in a post on LinkedIn that their “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 U.S. army and navy, to supply different types of munitions and explosives, according to public records. The products ranged from bulk explosives to landmines and small breaching charges, including C-4.

When the explosion occurred, residents in Lobelville, Tenn., 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 said by phone. “I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee posted on the social platform X that he is monitoring the situation and asked “Tennesseans to join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident.”

Blast levels Tennessee military explosives plant

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis speaks after an explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant left multiple people dead and missing on Friday.

State Rep. Jody Barrett, a Republican from the neighbouring town of Dickson, was worried about the possible economic impact because the plant is a key employer in the area.

“We absolutely heard it at the house,” Barrett said. “It sounded like something going through the roof of our house.”

A small group gathered for a vigil Friday night at a nearby park, clutching candles as they prayed for the missing and their families and sang Amazing Grace.

The U.S. has a long history of deadly incidents at workplaces, 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 helped lead U.S. President Richard Nixon to sign a law creating the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

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

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