A factory making munitions for the army explodes, killing 16 people and leaving no survivors

The explosion left a flaming wreckage of twisted and charred metal and burned vehicles at the scene Micropower systems The factory that supplies and researches explosives for the army.

The cause of the explosion is unknown. Investigators are combing the burned property on foot for possible evidence.

“There’s a great deal of emotion out there,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference, pausing to clear his throat before asking for prayers for the victims’ families in a trembling voice.

He added: “We were unable to recover any survivors.”

During the vigil at Hurricane Church in McEwen, Senior Pastor Tim Faris noted that many of those attending knew each other, the victims and their families.

“There are a lot of people hurting. A lot of people are crying a lot of tears,” he said. “We are sad that our community is going through this, but it is a tremendous opportunity for the church to serve many of these people today.”

Fares said he spoke with some of the victims’ families on Friday who were in a state of shock and numbness, and did not show much emotion. That changed by Saturday, he said.

“I spoke to some families today, and they were very emotional,” Faris said. “They can barely talk or anything, they’re so emotional. I think as this goes on, it’s going to affect more people. The depth of this, the reality of it. Then they’re going to be desperate for people.”

Pamela Jean Brown was among those who came out to pray for friends lost in the explosion and their families. She said a family acquaintance who was driving near the factory when it exploded was “badly injured…he was all cut up and bruised”, but is now recovering at home.

“I felt very sad,” she said after learning of the explosion on social media. Gathering with others to pray “was like a community coming together — and it feels good.”

State officials brought in a “rapid DNA” team to help identify the remains of people recovered from the site.

About 300 responders are working in a “slow and methodical manner” as they deal with explosive materials that have been damaged and are still explosive, Davis said. An ambulance and a helicopter used for air evacuations were brought in for the safety of first responders.

“It’s not like working in an accident. It’s not like working in a hurricane. We’re dealing with explosions. I would say at this time, we’re dealing with remains,” he said.

man McCormickA supervisory special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said explosives specialists and bomb technicians are trying to make the area safe for national ATF investigators. He said that the nature of the scene could change due to the heat and pressure resulting from the explosion.

Davis said it could take days, weeks or even months before foul play is ruled out.

The site is located in a densely forested area of ​​central Tennessee, between the economically vital Tennessee River to the west and the bustling city of Nashville to the east. The wooded landscape is dotted with modest homes, homesteads owned by “good old country folk,” as local man Terry Bagsby puts it.

“A lot of sadness”

Bagsby, 68, is retired but helps run the register at a gas station near the site. He said people in the close-knit community are “very sad.”

He said he knew people who worked at the site.

“I don’t know how to explain it…just a lot of sadness.”

Counselors will be available to grieving students on Monday, officials said at an evening news conference.

Earlier Saturday afternoon at the church in McEwen, about 30 people gathered to pray for the victims of the explosion and their families. Music played and mourners bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Some knelt at the altar, placing their hands on each other’s backs and shoulders. Some cried quietly amid whispered prayers.

After the vigil, Pastor Fares told the media that the area had seen its share of tragedy and loss of life, including the deadly floods that occurred a few years ago. He asked for prayers for first responders.

“This is physically exhausting. This kind of stuff takes a toll on you mentally. They carry that home. They need prayer and encouragement, too,” he said.

The company’s website says it processes explosives and ammunition at an eight-building facility sprawling across the wooded hills of Bucksnort, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville. It was not immediately known how many people worked at the factory or how many people were there when the explosion occurred.

Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, said in a social media post Friday that the company’s “thoughts and prayers” are with the families and communities affected.

“We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult circumstances,” the post read.

An explosion shakes residents from sleep

The company has received numerous military contracts, largely by the U.S. Army and Navy, to supply various types of munitions and explosives, according to public records. Products range from bulk explosives to land mines and small penetration charges, including C4.

When the explosion occurred, residents of Loubellville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, said they felt their homes shaking, and some people captured the loud bang on their home cameras.

The explosion jolted Gentry Stover from his sleep.

“I thought the house had collapsed with me in it,” he told the Associated Press. “I live near Accurate, and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to be this way.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee posted on the social platform X He is monitoring the situation and asked “Tennessees to join us in praying for the families affected by this tragic incident.”

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

The United States has a long history of fatal workplace accidents, 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 prompt President Richard Nixon to sign legislation creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration the following year.

In 2019, Accurate Energetic Systems faced several small fines from the U.S. Department of Labor for violating policies intended to protect workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals, radiation and other irritants, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations.

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