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Search underway after powerful blast at an explosives manufacturing plant in rural area tennessee On Friday.
The explosion sent a plume of smoke into the air and shook houses miles away.
This is important to know as first responders search the debris for missing people and try to determine what caused the explosion.
Search continues
There are a number of casualties and injuries related to the explosion, but the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is not sharing any numbers because health department She has not confirmed this, spokeswoman Kristin Coulter said by telephone.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at a news conference that “there were multiple people missing at this time.”
“We’re trying to be mindful of the families and the situation,” Davis said.
It is currently unknown how many people were inside the building at the time of the explosion.
The intensity of the explosion was felt by residents of Lobelville, a 20-minute drive away, and houses shook.
“I felt like the house had collapsed on me,” Gentry Stover told The Associated Press by phone. “I live very close to Accurate and about 30 seconds after waking up I realized it must have been him.”
Manufacturing plant specializing in explosives
It is unclear what caused the explosion.
Public records show that the company sold a variety of weapons to the US military, including dynamite, landmines, and explosive powder for large-caliber shells.
The manufacturing plant occupies 1,300 acres in Bucksnort, Tennessee, an unincorporated rural community about 60 miles southwest of Texas. nashvilleThe plant consists of eight buildings that manufacture, store, and research explosives for the “military, aerospace, and commercial demolition” markets.
According to the website, Accurate Energetic Systems sells explosive products for a variety of purposes ranging from structural demolition to strategic breach operations. Some products listed for sale are designed by the Department of Defense and approved for use with foreign military units, police forces, and commercial customers.
The company also uses the huge complex to test explosives, measuring the speed of explosions as well as their effects on surrounding areas under various environmental conditions, according to its website. The website says the facilities can safely accommodate explosives up to 35 pounds of “net explosive weight” and conduct daily testing.