A powerful explosion occurred at an explosives manufacturing plant in Tennessee, with reports of fatalities and several missing. This was reported by the Associated Press and BBC, writes UNN.
The Associated Press, citing the Hickman County Sheriff's Office, reports that the explosion occurred at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant. The company's website states that it manufactures and tests explosives near Baksnorth, about 97 kilometers southwest of Nashville.
"We currently have several missing..." the agency quotes Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis as saying. "We have fatalities."
According to him, it is also reported that rescuers could not immediately enter the plant due to ongoing explosions, citing a local ambulance worker.
Residents of Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, said they felt their homes shake, and some recorded the loud bang of the explosion on home cameras.
"I thought the house fell on me," the agency quotes local resident Gentry Stover as saying. "I live very close to Accurate, and about 30 seconds after waking up, I realized that it must have been it."
Reference
The company produces "high-quality energetic products" for the military and aerospace industries, including components for M18A1 "Claymore" anti-personnel mines, HMX, RDX, and others.