No survivors found after Tennessee explosives plant blast

Operations spell from rescue to betterment arsenic nary survivors expected to beryllium found, officials say.

Investigators bash not expect to find immoderate survivors astatine the country of a blast astatine a Tennessee explosives company, officials say.

The explosion, which was felt for miles, destroyed a building astatine the office of Accurate Energetic Systems aboriginal connected Friday successful Bucksnort, astir an hour’s thrust westbound of Nashville.

“More than 300 radical person been done astir each quadrate inch of this facility, and astatine this time, we’ve recovered nary survivors,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told reporters connected Saturday. “It’s a large nonaccomplishment to our communities.”

Officials did not connection a precise decease toll but person antecedently said 18 radical were unaccounted for. Davis confirmed the cognition had shifted from rescue to betterment and that investigators would usage DNA investigating to corroborate the identities of those who died.

The mill made explosives for some subject and demolition purposes.

Investigators, including agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were inactive moving to find the origin of the explosion, officials said. The beingness of explosives and different ordnance astatine the spot has made searching the country complicated.

In a statement, the institution called the blast “a tragic accident”.

Davis said it could beryllium days, weeks oregon adjacent months earlier foul play is ruled out.