NEED TO KNOW
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Nineteen people are missing and feared dead after a blast at an explosives plant in Tennessee on Friday, Oct. 10, authorities said
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Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said that four or five people were medically evacuated to a local hospital
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The cause of the explosion remains unknown at this time
Nineteen people are missing and feared dead after a blast at a Tennessee explosives plant, authorities said in an update hours after the explosion.
“At this time, we have been able to confirm that we do have 19 souls that we’re looking for,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said tearfully in an afternoon news conference, according to BBC News. “I ask you to keep in mind those families.”
The sheriff went on to say that there were fatalities, but he did not want to give an exact number just yet. Additionally, four or five people were medically evacuated to a local hospital.
Among those missing, according to The New York Times, is Rachel Birchard, who had an early shift at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant. Before he drove out to the facility, her boyfriend wrote on Facebook, “I don’t get on here and say much at all, but please pray for my girlfriend.”
The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that the explosion occurred on the morning of Friday, Oct. 10.
About 7:45 a.m. local time, there was a “devastating blast” at the facility, Davis said in an earlier news conference shared by Fox affiliate WZTV. “It encompassed one whole building.”
Brett Carlsen/Getty
Accurate Energetic Systems
“We do have the scene as secure as possible at this time,” Davis added. He noted that representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies were at the scene.
The cause of the blast remains unknown at this time and the response is being handled as a joint operation between Humphreys County and Hickman County.
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According to the sheriff, Accurate Energetic Systems was cooperating with authorities. “They’re wanting to figure out this just as much as we are,” he said.
“Please avoid the area to allow emergency responders to do their work. If you are in the area, stay clear and follow the instructions from local authorities,” the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office said in their initial statement.
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Brett Carlsen/Getty
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis speaks to media at Accurate Energetic Systems on October 10, 2025
Beyonica Holt, who lives about 14 miles from the plant in Nunnelly, told The Tennessean that the blast “shook their entire house.”
“I thought I was going to die. It knocked stuff off my shelves,” Holt told the paper. “I thought we were at war or something.”
Read the original article on People
