A powerful explosion rocked a military explosives facility in Tennessee, resulting in no survivors, officials said.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed the 16 people killed in the explosion at a news conference Saturday evening, saying he had contacted all of their family members after authorities discovered two of the people initially missing had been found alive and not on site at the time of the accident.
“We were unable to recover any survivors,” Davis said.
Davis also said he did not yet have details on the victims’ identities as of Saturday evening. Al-Sharif said earlier today that teams will enter to begin conducting a quick DNA search to identify the victims. There were no updates on injuries.
The explosion occurred at the Accurate Energetic Systems military explosives plant at about 7:45 a.m. Central time on Friday morning, according to Davis. The explosion occurred in one of the eight buildings on the university campus. Video from the scene showed destroyed cars and charred debris scattered across the area.
Officials had previously said 19 people were missing, but revised the figure on Saturday, saying a person initially believed to be at the site had been found safe at home. It later became clear that another person was not present at the time of the explosion. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency He said.
CBS affiliate WTVF-TV On the Nashville broadcast video Debris was scattered around the site, with damaged cars in the parking lot.
WTVF-TV via AP
“I’m not going to lie to you,” Davis said. “This is probably one of the most devastating scenes I have ever seen in my career.”
Asked to describe the affected building, Davis said: “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone.”
The Associated Press reported that the explosion shook homes miles away. Gentry Stover, a nearby resident, told the AP that it woke him up.
“I thought the house collapsed while I was inside,” he said in a phone interview. “I live near Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to be this way.”
What caused the explosion in Tennessee?
Al-Sharif added that the cause of the explosion is not yet known, and the investigation may take days.
Agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were on the scene, Davis said. The Metro Nashville Police Department Bomb Squad as well He said He was responding to help process the scene. Davis said he expects crews to remain on site for several days.
Sources close to the investigation told CBS News on Saturday morning that investigators returned to assess the site of the explosion. The area “appears to be a lot more unstable than they thought,” which is slowing down the process, and there are still some small fires burning around the building, sources said.
Davis warned that small explosions could continue to occur at the site. David Stewart, Hickman County’s advanced emergency medical team, told The Associated Press that emergency crews were initially unable to enter the plant due to ongoing explosions. The sources said that several small “controlled” explosions were likely to occur throughout the day.
Agencies use multiple methods to find and identify missing persons; The FBI is using cell phone analysis to determine if the cell phone of a person reported missing was in or near the building at the time of the explosion, while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will use rapid DNA testing to identify any victims found.
What are micro energy systems?
Accurate Energetic Systems specializes in the development, manufacture, handling and storage of explosives products for the military, aerospace and commercial demolition markets. According to their website. The company also tests those explosives on the 1,300-acre campus.
AES received numerous military contracts primarily from the U.S. Army and Navy, according to public records reviewed by The Associated Press, and produced materials including bulk explosives, small penetration charges and landmines. Pentagon officials told the Associated Press that they are aware of the explosion and are looking into the situation.
AES was cited and fined $7,200 by OSHA in 2019, Records appear online. Three violations were recorded. One violation described as sanitation-related was listed as “serious.” The other two violations are classified as “other.”
Davis said the company is cooperating with law enforcement authorities regarding the explosion.
The facility is located on the border of Hickman and Humphreys counties, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Nashville has been activated to Level 4, which is elevated, to support local requests. People can call the Missing Persons Hotline at 1-800-TBI-FIND/1-800-824-3463.