Tragic Explosion at Tennessee Munitions Factory Leaves 18 Missing

Sat Oct 11 2025 23:11:44 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A devastating explosion at a munitions plant in Tennessee has resulted in no confirmed survivors among the 18 individuals unaccounted for, as recovery efforts face challenges.

An explosion at a Tennessee munitions factory has left 18 people missing, with recovery teams not expecting to find survivors. Police confirm the situation is more catastrophic than initially believed. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

No survivors are expected to be found after a major explosion at a Tennessee munitions factory on Friday that has left 18 people unaccounted for.

Recovery teams don't expect to find any of the missing alive, but they are not giving up hope, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told a news conference on Saturday.

As we get into this, we find it even more devastating than we thought initially, Sheriff Davis said.

It's still unclear what caused the explosion at the plant in Bucksnort, Tennessee - roughly 56 miles (90km) south-west of Nashville. The facility specializes in the development, manufacture, handling, and storage of explosives.

Video footage taken on Friday showed fires still burning, charred vehicles, and smoke rising from the razed building. Officials said debris was scattered in a half-mile radius around where the building once stood.

Accurate Energetic Systems, which runs the plant, has suspended its operations.

There was a previous fatal explosion at a unit in the same location in 2014.