At least 19 people are missing after a violent explosion destroyed a factory in the southern United States on Friday, October 10, the cause of which remains unknown according to local authorities.
“At this time, we can confirm that we are looking for 19 people,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at a news conference about the explosion that leveled the Accurate Energetic Systems factory in Tennessee. The accident occurred around 7:45 a.m. on Friday (2:45 p.m. Paris time) and demolished an entire building.
Debris was dumped over an 800-square-meter area around the factory according to the sheriff, and a team inspected the site to make sure no chemicals made authorities’ work dangerous.
“There are deaths”
“I can tell you there are deaths,” Chris Davis continued, without giving numbers. “Is there a chance that someone is hurt somewhere, or someone we haven’t heard about? Yes,” he said.
Authorities could not answer questions about the number of employees present at the time of the explosion or the number of people taken to the hospital, saying they were focused on securing the area.
This plant is located near Bucksnort, in a forested and mountainous area away from urban areas, more than 50 miles west of Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, on the border of Humphreys and Hickman counties.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown.
“We are monitoring the situation in Hickman County and state agencies are working with local and federal agencies. We ask the people of Tennessee to join us in praying for the families affected by this tragic accident,” responded the state’s Republican governor in X.
Several federal agencies are on the scene, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, the sheriff said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families (…). We are trying to understand the cause of this,” added Chris Davis.
The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that an explosion had occurred at the factory, that emergency responders were on the scene and that residents should avoid the area.
A devastated building
Television images broadcast on Friday show in particular a completely devastated building, on fire and vehicles destroyed by the explosion.
Contacted by AFP, the mayor’s office could not immediately provide a casualty report or explain the cause of the explosion. Accurate Energetic Systems did not immediately respond to AFP requests.
On its website, this company founded in 1980 says it is “specialized in the development, manufacturing, handling and storage of a wide range of energy and explosive products for the military, aerospace and commercial demolition markets.”
Source: BFM TV
