Tennessee plant explosion

The blast that leveled an explosives plant and was felt for miles around in rural Tennessee left no survivors, authorities said Saturday.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference that officials were working on the assumption that all of the people at the site were dead. The total number of people who died was unclear, as was the cause of the blast.

Davis had said earlier there were 18 people missing.

“We’ve recovered no survivors,” Davis said. The explosion Friday morning at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military, scattered debris over at least a half-mile (800-meter) area and was felt by residents more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, Davis said.

Aerial footage showed the company’s hilltop location smoldering and smoky Friday, with just a mass of twisted metal, burned-out shells of cars and an array of debris left behind.Davis, who described it as one of the worst scenes he’s ever seen, said multiple people were killed.

When asked to describe the building where the blast occurred, Davis said, “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone.”

Aerial video on WTVF television showed flames and smoke emanating from debris where the building once stood. Witnesses reported the blast being heard and felt for miles around, local media said.

Davis initially said 19 people were missing but WSMV television later reported one of those believed missing was found safe at home, citing officials.

The company offered no indication of the cause, saying in a statement, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, coworkers, and community members affected by this incident,” while thanking the first responders on the scene.

Accurate Energetic Systems develops, manufactures and stores explosives for “military, aerospace, and commercial demolition markets,” according to the company’s website. The 1,300-acre headquarters in Bucksnort, Tennessee, includes eight production buildings and a quality lab.

The company offered relatively high-paying jobs for a rural area in Tennessee, where employers must pay the minimum of $7.25 an hour. On its Facebook page, AES said it was hiring production workers at a starting rate of $19 an hour.

Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates told CNN the plant did not have a history of safety problems, although there was a small ammunition explosion there in 2014. That incident killed one person and injured three, according to The Tennessean newspaper.