A deadly explosion at an explosives manufacturing plant in McEwen, Tennessee, has resulted in multiple fatalities and left several people unaccounted for. The blast occurred Friday morning at Accurate Energetic Systems, a facility located approximately 50 miles west of Nashville.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed to reporters that “some” fatalities have been reported, though he did not specify numbers. Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates later told ABC News that at least 13 individuals remain unaccounted for, with WTVF citing a revised figure of 19 missing persons.
The explosion took place shortly before 8 a.m., coinciding with the plant’s regular shift change. Residents near the site described feeling the impact, with one neighbor, Gentry Stover, recalling waking up to the sudden force of the blast. “I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” he said.
Davis emphasized the scale of the investigation, stating, “This is not going to be something that we’re going to be like a car wreck or something like that.” Federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are assisting in the response.
Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC, specializes in producing military explosives for the U.S. Department of Defense and industrial markets, according to the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have urged residents to avoid the area as emergency personnel work to assess the site.