Headline: 16 Dead in Middle Tennessee Ammunition Plant Explosion, Officials Confirm
An explosion at an ammunition plant in Middle Tennessee has killed 16 people, officials confirmed on Saturday after a search for survivors found no one.
The announcement Saturday evening was the first official death toll since the blast destroyed the plant a day earlier. Authorities had said earlier in the day that hopes of finding anyone alive had faded.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed that the families of 16 people were notified their loved ones had died.
“It breaks my heart to tell you that,” he said at a news conference.
Officials initially reported 19 people were missing, but three individuals thought to be at the plant were later found safe elsewhere. In some cases, investigators found personal items in the rubble but could not immediately find the person.
The cause of the explosion remained unclear as the investigation continued Saturday. Officials described a slow and difficult search of the site. “We’re having to clear it foot by foot,” Sheriff Davis said, adding that debris was found as far as two miles away.
An emergency helicopter and ambulance remained on standby, highlighting the danger for the hundreds of law enforcement officers searching the wreckage.
Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the explosive materials at the site have become even more unstable after being exposed to the explosion’s heat and pressure.
“We were already going slow, and we’re slowing things down even more,” said Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft. The plant is located on the border of Hickman and Humphreys Counties.
The explosion happened around 7:45 a.m. at the plant, which is about 60 miles west of Nashville. It leveled one of several buildings in the complex. Residents over a dozen miles away reported feeling the blast. The site was left a fiery scene of twisted metal, debris, and burned-out vehicles.
The plant is run by Accurate Energetic Systems, a company that makes explosives for the U.S. military and commercial blasting industries.
Employees said workers in the part of the facility that exploded handled explosives like Pentolite and Comp-B. They would melt the materials in large kettles before pouring them into cast boosters, which are small, sensitive charges used to set off larger explosives in commercial mining.
The explosion occurred during a shift change, according to worker Christopher Jose. Employees stated the plant had strict safety rules, including special clothing requirements to reduce the risk of static electricity.
As the investigation continues, the close-knit community is starting to mourn the loss of relatives, friends, and colleagues. “You want me to be honest? It’s hell,” said Sheriff Davis, who has become the main voice for both the investigation and the grieving community.
“It’s hell on us,” he said on Friday. “It’s hell on everybody involved.”
He mentioned he had personal connections to some of the families affected. “There’s three families in this I’m very close to.” He added that in a small community where many people have ties to the plant, his situation was not unique. “We know each other,” he said.
This is not the first tragedy for the rural, wooded area. In 2021, flash floods killed 20 people and destroyed homes and businesses. This weekend, another disaster has brought confusion and a painful wait for news.
“We had the flood, and now, we have this,” said Jacob Pointer, 21, who works in Waverly, one of the towns hit hardest by the flood.
Like many residents, Pointer has a connection to the plant. His co-worker’s husband is an employee there but had the day off on Friday.
Pointer said many locals knew the work was dangerous. In 2014, one man was killed and four were injured in an explosion at the same site, which was then operated by a different company.
But Accurate Energetic Systems is a major employer in the region. “They keep a lot of families fed around here,” Pointer said.
The company employs about 75 people at the 1,300-acre property, which serves all branches of the U.S. military as well as international clients. Since 2020, Accurate Energetic Systems has received millions of dollars in federal contracts, primarily from the Army.
In a statement on its website, the company called the explosion a “tragic accident” and thanked first responders. Officials said Saturday that the company is cooperating with the investigation.
Jayd Begin, 33, and her boyfriend, Christopher Jose, 32, worked the second shift in the building that was destroyed. Both said they knew many of the workers believed to be dead.
“Just looking at the pictures that were posted online… the cars in the parking lot, I could identify each one of them, who drove what,” Ms. Begin said.
She said some of the victims she knew had only recently started working there. One was about 20 years old. Another was a grandmother, and one woman had just returned to work after visiting her son.