- One building was destroyed in an explosion at a bomb factory in Tennessee Friday morning.
- Humphreys County Sheriff reports multiple fatalities and 19 people unaccounted for.
- The cause of the blast is still being investigated as multiple agencies are on the scene at the munitions factory.
Multiple people are dead following a “devastating blast” at a Tennessee bomb factory on Friday morning, officials reported.
The explosion occurred at 7:48 a.m. local time at the Accurate Energetic Systems military munitions plant at the Hickman-Humphreys County line west of Nashville, per the New York Post. The blast destroyed one building on the property.
The factory is located miles away from any residences and businesses.
Chris Davis, the Humphreys County sheriff, confirmed there are “some” fatalities, but he did not provide a specific number. At least 19 people are unaccounted for after the blast, he told ABC News.
“It’s probably been one of the most devastating situations that I’ve been on in my career,” Davis said.
He added that four to five people were transported to hospitals.
When asked to describe the building, he said: “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone.”
Davis said during a briefing that this is a “very big investigation.”
“This is not going to be something that we’re going to be like a car wreck or something like that, that we’re just going to clean up the debris and leave. We’re going to probably be here for a few days,” he said, per ABC News.
“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 continued.
A number of other agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, have responded to the scene.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Davis said that Accurate Energetic Systems is cooperating with law enforcement.
“They’re wanting to figure out this just as much as we are,” he added, per ABC News.
According to the New York Post, Accurate Energetic Systems manufactures explosives and energetic devices for the aerospace, military, demolition and mining industries.