Massive Explosion at US Military Explosives Plant in Tennessee: 19 Missing, Several Dead

Nineteen people were missing and an unspecified number were killed after a large explosion tore through a U.S. military explosives plant on Friday, authorities said, as emergency teams searched the damaged site for survivors.

The blast occurred at an Accurate Energetic Systems facility in the Bucksnort area of Hickman County, Tennessee. Aerial footage broadcast by U.S. media showed smoldering debris and charred, mangled vehicles across the factory grounds. Officials warned the public to avoid the area because of the risk of secondary explosions.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said investigators were still searching and that 19 people were unaccounted for. “At this time we have been able to confirm that we do have 19 souls that we’re looking for,” he told reporters. He confirmed there were fatalities but declined to give a number: “There are fatalities. I don’t want to put a number to that… I can tell you right now we are looking for 19 individuals.”

Davis described the scene at the building struck by the explosion as completely destroyed. “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone,” he said, and added that debris from the blast had been scattered across roughly half a square mile. He called the site the most severe he had seen in his career and acknowledged the strain on responders and the community: “It’s hell on us. It’s hell on everybody involved.”

Officials said it was not immediately clear what triggered the explosion. Emergency and federal agencies were at the scene conducting searches and investigations while officials sought to identify victims and determine the cause. Authorities also noted the difficult and hazardous conditions at the site while they continued recovery work.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he was monitoring the situation and that state agencies were working with local and federal partners. “We ask Tennesseans to join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

Accurate Energetic Systems, founded in 1980, is an explosives manufacturer that supplies products to the U.S. Department of Defense and commercial markets, according to the company’s public materials. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Pentagon recently awarded the company a $120 million contract for the procurement of TNT, officials said.

As investigators continued work at the site, officials acknowledged the wait for families of the missing and said they were prioritizing communication and support for those affected. Sheriff Davis noted the emotional toll on responders and relatives and said authorities were making efforts to be “very compassionate” toward families during the search and recovery operation.