Nearly two dozen people are feared dead after a massive explosion erupted at a Tennessee bomb factory this morning.
The blast went off at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant Friday around 7.50am local time, the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
At least 19 employees currently remain unaccounted for, according to Odell Poyner, the emergency management director in nearby Humphreys County.
The initial blast was so enormous that locals reported hearing and feeling it from miles away.
The extent of the damage remains unclear at this time, but authorities say their main concern right now is the potential for secondary explosions.
Emergency crews are on site and have urged the public to stay away as they work the scene. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has also been dispatched to the plant to investigate the explosion.
There was an explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant in April 2014. That blast left one person dead and three others injured.
The blast was heard from miles away, causing shelves and windows to rattle, residents claimed.
Beyonica Holt, whose residence is located roughly 15 miles from the factory, said she ‘thought we were at war’ and that ‘I was going to die.’
‘I was standing in my bedroom. It shook the whole house. I thought it was going to blow out my windows – it didn’t, but that’s how big it was,’ she told The Tennessean.
Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates said his office has received multiple calls from residents claiming that they felt the ground shake.
‘It’s an unfortunate incident. It was felt around our county,’ the mayor said. ‘We just pray that the good Lord keeps their hand on the families that’s involved.’
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has shut down State Route 230, just north of I-40, while emergency crews work the scene.
Accurate Energetic Systems, located in the state’s Bucksnort area, was established in 1980 and manufacturers explosives and ammunition.
The plant ‘is dedicated to the development, manufacture, handling, and storage of high-quality energetic products utilized in both defense and commercial markets,’ according to its website.
It also specializes in creating high-grade explosives for demolition and makes ‘linear shaped charges to claymore mines,’ the website said.
The facility, which sits on 1,300 acres, is comprised of eight production buildings and a quality control lab.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
