Investigators have found no survivors following a “devastating” explosion at a Tennessee military supplier plant on Friday morning that left 18 people unaccounted for.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed that officials have “recovered no survivors," as he delivered an emotional update on the investigation Saturday. He did not confirm the exact number of people who were killed. Investigators are still working to identify the victims.
“I can tell you that more than 300 people have been through almost every square inch of this facility,” he said.
The explosion occurred at the Accurate Energetic Systems facility in the Bucksnort area just before 8 a.m. local time. Officials originally said 19 people were missing, before revising the total to 18.
"Anyone that was inside that building...we can probably make the assumption, and I'm not even going to use the word assumption, I think that we can utilize — well, I have to use that word, forgive me, we can assume that they are deceased at this point,” Davis added.
The cause of the blast is still under investigation, and authorities can’t rule out foul play, Davis said. He called it the most “devastating scene” he’s ever seen on Friday, telling reporters, “there's nothing to describe, it’s gone.”
Explosive specialists are investigating the incident, according to Supervisor Special Agent Guy McCormick with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They’re at the scene working to make the area safe for law enforcement officials, including agents from the National Repsonse Team who are set to arrive on Saturday afternoon, McCormick said.
“In a situation like this, what we find is that when these explosives are subject to the event that took place — which is heat, the explosion being thrown, pressure — they can change, and they can become different than how we know them to act,” he explained.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said Friday he was monitoring the situation, and asked for residents to “join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident.”
Video from the scene showed the remains of the plant still ablaze with thick black smoke rising up. The eight-building facility is located around 60 miles southwest of Nashville.
Nearby resident Gentry Stover recalled waking up to the massive explosion and thinking that his “house had collapsed” with him inside.
“I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that,” he told the Associated Press.
