There are no survivors from a factory explosion that occurred at a military munitions plant in the US state of Tennessee on Friday, authorities said on Saturday.
“There’s a gauntlet of emotions there,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference, pausing to clear his throat before he asked for prayers for the families of the victims in a shaky voice.
“We’ve recovered no survivors,” he said, without providing any specific information on individuals who were unaccounted for when the blast took place on Friday.
Later on Saturday, authorities said the blast killed 16, revising down a death toll of 18.
“We have been able to locate and determine the two other folks [were] not on the site,” Sheriff Davis said, explaining that because the pair’s vehicles and personal items were discovered at the scene, they were initially believed to have died.
Davis said about 300 responders were working in a “slow, methodical method” as they deal with explosive material that has been damaged and remains volatile.
An ambulance and a helicopter used for air evacuations were brought in, for the safety of first responders.
“It’s not like working an accident. It’s not like working a tornado. We’re dealing with explosions. And I would say at this time, we’re dealing with remains,” he said.
The cause of the blast was yet to be known, and the sheriff earlier said the investigation could take days.
What to know about the Tennessee plant blast
The explosion took place at a plant run by Accurate Energetic Systems in Hickman County on Friday.
The company manufactures and tests explosives at the building near Bucksnort, a town some 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville, according to its website. The site is located roughly between the Hickman and Humphreys counties.
In a statement, the company called the blast “a tragic accident.”
Authorities earlier told the Associated Press news agency that secondary blasts kept rescue services away from the burning site.
The sheriff’s office had called on the public to avoid the area to allow rescuers to do their work.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
