WASHINGTON: Multiple people have been killed and nineteen others remain missing following a massive explosion at a US military explosives plant on Friday.
Emergency responders are now scouring the ravaged site for any potential survivors according to official statements.
Aerial footage broadcast by US media showed smoldering debris at the factory in Hickman County, Tennessee.
Charred and mangled vehicles were strewn across the facility following the devastating blast.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed to reporters that authorities are searching for nineteen individuals.
“There are fatalities. I don’t want to put a number to that… I can tell you right now we are looking for 19 individuals,“ Davis stated.
The explosion occurred at a plant operated by Accurate Energetic Systems in Hickman County’s Bucksnort area.
Officials issued warnings for the public to avoid the area amid fears of potential secondary explosions.
Sheriff Davis described the blast as having engulfed an entire building at the facility.
He called it “the most devastating scene that I’ve seen in my career.”
The explosion was so massive that it was heard across a large distance according to authorities.
Debris from the blast scattered across half a square mile around the plant site.
When asked to describe the state of the building where the explosion occurred, Davis responded, “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone.”
The cause of the explosion remains unclear as investigators begin their work.
Authorities acknowledged the agonizing wait for families of the missing individuals.
“I’m sure there’s people that’s angry, I’m sure that there’s people that’s very sad, very upset, and I can understand that,“ Davis expressed.
He added, “It’s hell on us. It’s hell on everybody involved.”
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee confirmed he was monitoring the situation closely.
“State agencies are responding in partnership with local (and) federal agencies,“ he wrote on social media platform X.
The governor asked “Tennesseans to join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident.”
Accurate Energetic Systems, an explosives manufacturer founded in 1980, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The company’s Facebook page indicates it manufactures “various high explosive compositions and specialty products” for the US Department of Defense.
The company also serves US industrial markets according to their social media presence.
Last month, the US government awarded Accurate Energetic Systems a contract worth nearly 120 million dollars.
The Pentagon confirmed this was for the “procurement of TNT” according to official records. – AFP