16 presumed dead following explosion at Tennessee munitions factory, officials confirm

Following a major explosion at a bomb factory on Friday, 16 people are presumed to be dead, officials confirmed Saturday.

Recovery teams spent the weekend clinging to hope of finding any of the missing alive, but on Saturday evening Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said “it’s safe” to assume they are deceased, per BBC.

It was originally feared that 18 people had died, but two people who were believed to be present during the explosion were actually not on site and have been located.

The cause of the blast at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant in Bucksnort, Tennessee, is still unclear. The plant is located roughly 56 miles southwest of Nashville.

The blast affected one building, destroying the whole structure and the company has suspended its operations. Officials said that debris was scattered for a half a mile around where the building once was.

After the explosion occurred early Friday morning, over 300 state and local first responders spent Friday and Saturday searching the site.

“The expectation of anyone who’s inside of that building … we can assume that they are deceased,” Davis told media on Saturday, per BBC.

“We’re finding it even more devastating than we thought initially,” Davis said. “We’re literally having to clear foot by foot.”

The FBI has also been on the scene conducting rapid DNA tests in order to identify victims and notify families.

“We’re trying to focus as much attention as we can, on taking care of their families,” Sheriff Jason Craft, from neighboring Hickman County, told the BBC.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is also helping with the investigation.

Investigation into the cause of the explosion

According to NPR, Friday’s blast obliterated the building but also charred multiple vehicles in an adjacent parking lot.

Investigators are combing the property foot-by-foot looking for possible evidence. The investigation has been slowed by the large amount of volatile debris distributed around the blast site, requiring careful checks by bomb technicians and ATF, per The Washington Post.

“We’re working to mitigate hazards that are just on the site so we can begin actually working the scene,” said Brice McCracken, who is in charge of ATF’s National Center for Explosives Training and Research, according to The Washington Post.

“We’re starting on the outside of the scene and working our way in to where we believe the blast originated, but it’s going to take time to get to the actual facility where they were working with explosive materials,” he added.

What is Accurate Energetic Systems?

Accurate Energetic Systems was founded in 1980 and it supplies the military with bulk explosive compounds as well as Claymore mines and shaped charges, per The Washington Post.

The plant in Tennessee is a multibuilding facility owned by AES and deadly explosions have occurred there before. The facility has also faced federal fines related to workplace safety practices.

In 2014, a blast on the property killed one worker and injured three others, per The Washington Post. At the time the building where the explosion occurred was being leased by another company so AES was not connected to the incident.

Following Friday’s explosion AES posted a statement on its website saying: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, co-workers, and community members affected by this incident. We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions.”