No Survivors Expected After Tennessee Munitions Plant Explosion
BUCKSNORT, Tennessee — Authorities say no survivors are expected to be found after a massive explosion ripped through a munitions plant in rural Tennessee on Friday, leaving 18 people unaccounted for and an entire community in mourning, according to BBC News.
The blast occurred at the Accurate Energetic Systems facility in Bucksnort, about 56 miles southwest of Nashville, devastating the site and scattering debris for nearly half a mile. The factory specializes in the production of explosives for military and commercial use.
By Saturday morning, what began as a rescue mission had shifted into a recovery operation. “As we get into this, we find it even more devastating than we thought initially,” said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis, fighting back emotion at a press briefing. “The expectation of anyone inside that building is that they are deceased.”
More than 300 state and local first responders have combed the charred remains of the facility since the explosion, while fires continued to smolder and twisted metal and vehicles lay in ruins. The cause of the blast remains unknown.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are on site assisting in the investigation and conducting rapid DNA testing to identify victims. Sheriff Jason Craft of neighboring Hickman County said efforts were now focused on supporting families of the missing. “This is about taking care of our people,” he told reporters.
Residents as far as 15 miles away reported hearing the explosion. “All of a sudden we heard a loud bang. We didn’t know if it was a gun or what,” one woman told the BBC. Others described blocked roads, flashing lights, and the overwhelming presence of emergency vehicles.
Accurate Energetic Systems has suspended all operations. The plant suffered a fatal explosion once before, in 2014 a tragedy the tight-knit community had hoped never to relive.
