An explosion that destroyed a munitions plant in Hickman County, Tennessee on Friday morning has left 19 people missing and feared dead, according to authorities and news coverage.
The explosion occurred about 7:45 a.m. on Friday at Accurate Energetic Systems, NewsChannel 5 Nashville reported. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Grey Collier, a spokesperson for the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency, said that there was no ongoing threat of explosions, and the situation was under control by Friday afternoon, according to the AP.
“There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone,” Humphreys County, Tenn. Sheriff Chris Davis said after being asked about the building’s remains, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Friday.
Davis said the total death toll was currently unknown, but added that “we are missing 19 souls right now,” the NYT reported. According to Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates, the facility employs approximately 80 people, but it remains uncertain how many people were inside at the time of the explosion Friday morning, CNN reported.
Accurate Energetic Systems manufactures “various high explosive compositions and specialty products for the U.S. DoD [Department of Defense] and U.S. Industrial markets,” according to the company’s Facebook page. The company specializes in “providing a diverse portfolio of high-quality energetic products designed to meet the rigorous demands of military, aerospace, and commercial industries,” according to its website.
Davis did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment. Accurate Energetic Systems did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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