Tennessee bomb factory explosion leaves as many as 19 feared missing or dead

As many as 19 people are missing and feared dead after a “devastating blast” leveled a Tennessee bomb factory Friday, according to officials.

The massive explosion was reported around 7:45 a.m. local time at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant at the Hickman-Humphreys County line, west of Nashville.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed there were “some” fatalities and that there are people still missing, without providing numbers — though he referred to the 19 people working in the building at the time of the tragedy as “souls.”

“There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone,” Davis said. “It’s the most devastating scene that I’ve seen in my career.”

The blast impacted “one whole building” of the McEwen property, he said. The factory, which makes and tests explosives for the government, is located miles away from any residences and businesses.

Footage of the campus showed that the building had been obliterated in the blast, with only smoldering wreckage and the burnt-out shells of vehicles left in its wake.

The tragedy occurred in the Melt Pour building, where explosive materials are liquified and poured into canisters, an employee told The Tennessean.

The canisters are then packed into boxes, which are stacked on pallets and loaded into trucks. AES works on both government and non-government contracts.

Typically, fewer than 30 people are inside the Melt Pour building at a time, they said.

Nineteen employees were inside the building at the time, and every one remains unaccounted for, according to Humphreys County EMA Director Odell Poyner.

At least 13 people remain unaccounted for, said Bates 

The cause of the explosion is still unknown, with investigators saying it could take several days to determine what went wrong.

“We’re trying to take as much time as is needed right now. We’re prioritizing people that are involved, their families and trying to be very compassionate toward them,” he said.

Security footage from a residence 21 miles away captured the moment a single deafening “boom” can be heard echoing through the area that was strong enough to shake the ground and the camera, according to News Channel 5.

Reverberations were felt as far as an hour’s drive away, officials said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF] has been called to the scene.

Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the plant because of continuing detonations, but the scene was secured early Friday afternoon.

Authorities have requested people avoid the area and investigators are expected to be on site for several days, officials said.

Accurate Energetic Systems describes itself as “a leader in the energetics and explosives industry,” according to its website, which says it has been operating since 1980.

“Whether for military acquisition offices, defense and aerospace primes, or commercial demolition sectors, AES is your partner in achieving superior energetic solutions,” the company’s website states.

McEwen is a rural area of Tennessee famous for its annual National Banana Pudding Festival.

The deadly blast is not the first to rattle the small town. In 2014, one man was killed and three other employees were injured in an explosion at Rio Ammunition that occurred during the company’s cartridge loading operations.

That tragedy was ruled an accident.

With Post Wires