"It's hell for us" All 18 missing presumed dead after explosion at US explosives factory
18 more missing after US explosion
Image: dpa
Numerous rescue workers and investigators were deployed at the site of the accident.
Image: dpa
According to the company, it manufactures explosives products, including for the military.
Image: dpa
Pictures of the explosion site show a field of rubble.
Image: dpa
It is still unclear how the disaster occurred.
Image: dpa
18 more missing after US explosion
Image: dpa
Numerous rescue workers and investigators were deployed at the site of the accident.
Image: dpa
According to the company, it manufactures explosives products, including for the military.
Image: dpa
Pictures of the explosion site show a field of rubble.
Image: dpa
It is still unclear how the disaster occurred.
Image: dpa
Disaster strikes an explosives factory in the state of Tennessee: a powerful detonation destroys the entire plant. The number of missing people raises fears of the worst.
11.10.2025, 19:50
11.10.2025, 20:00
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Of the 18 people missing after the explosion at an explosives factory in the US state of Tennessee, none appear to have survived.
- "We can assume at this time that they are dead," said county sheriff Chris Davis at a press conference on Saturday.
- The explosion occurred on Friday for an initially unexplained reason at the Accurate Energetic Systems factory in the town of Bucksnort, which opened in 1980.
One day after a huge explosion on the site of an explosives factory in the USA, hopes are fading that investigators will find any survivors. The sheriff in the Humphreys County area in the US state of Tennessee still did not give a concrete death toll on Saturday. At last count, 18 people were missing. Sheriff Chris Davis said: "At this point, we have not found any survivors." But he did not want to give up hope, he said, visibly fighting back tears. But he also did not want to raise false hopes.
As of 6 p.m. (local time) on Friday evening, the authorities had reduced the number of missing persons from 19 to 18. According to the authorities, one person was believed to be in the factory, but was at home. Investigators fear that those who were on the site at the time of the explosion may have died. DNA from human remains is currently being checked, it was added.
The company concerned, Accurate Energetic, says it manufactures various explosive products, including for military purposes. It was still unclear hours later why the explosion occurred in the building complex west of Nashville. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also involved in the investigation. On Friday, footage showed fire, billows of smoke and a huge field of debris. Some people survived the disaster on Friday and escaped with injuries.
"There's nothing to describe. It's gone."
There is nothing left to see of the factory. Sheriff Chris Davis responded to a question about the condition of the building on Friday: "There's nothing to describe. It's gone." He said it was one of the most devastating scenes he had seen in his professional life. That evening, CNN quoted him as saying: "It's hell for us. It's hell for everyone involved."
The situation on the hill littered with smoking debris and wrecked vehicles near the town of McEwen, where the factory stood before the incident, was confusing for investigators. NBC, citing local residents, reported that even in the nearby town of Lobelville, houses were shaken by the explosion. Davis assumes that the plant was in operation when the detonation occurred.
The company management reacted with dismay in a statement and thanked the first responders. As soon as there is reliable information about the background to the incident, the company will provide further information. The operation on site and the investigation of the disaster are likely to continue for days.