A massive explosion tore through a military explosives manufacturing plant in rural Tennessee on Friday morning, killing multiple people and leaving nearly 20 others unaccounted for, officials said. The blast, which occurred around 7:45 a.m. local time at Accurate Energetic Systems, sent shockwaves across the Hickman and Humphreys County line, about 50 miles southwest of Nashville.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis described the incident as a "devastating blast," confirming that several workers had died and others remained missing. "We do have several people at this time that's unaccounted for," Davis said at a news conference. "We do have some folks, we can confirm that we do have some that are deceased."
Emergency crews from multiple agencies rushed to the site, battling fires and carefully approaching the facility amid fears of secondary explosions. Officials said at least 19 people were missing, and several others had been hospitalized. "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," Davis added. "We're going to probably be here for a few days."
Residents miles away reported feeling their homes shake from the force of the explosion. "I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it," said Gentry Stover, who lives near the plant. "I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that."
Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC, produces military-grade explosives for U.S. defense and industrial markets. Its Facebook page describes the company as a manufacturer of "various high explosive compositions and specialty products for the U.S. DoD and U.S. Industrial markets." The facility is considered a key employer in the Bucksnort area, which is home to many workers in Tennessee's defense manufacturing sector.
State Rep. Jody Barrett, a Republican from nearby Dickson, expressed concern about the broader impact of the disaster. "We live probably 15 miles as the crow flies, and we absolutely heard it at the house," Barrett said. "It sounded like something going through the roof of our house."
The plant, known for handling highly sensitive materials, has been working under contracts with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Association of the United States Army. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blast, and investigations are expected to continue for several days.
