AT LEAST nineteen people are feared to be dead after an explosion tore through a bomb factory in Tennessee, according to reports.
A large plume of smoke erupted from Accurate Energetic Systems outside Nashville on Friday morning, causing tremors to ripple for miles through the rural towns.
SKY 5Bomb factory Accurate Energetic Systems, outside Nashville, Tennessee, erupted into flames on Friday morning[/caption]
SKY 5Nineteen people are feared dead following the explosion[/caption]
Google MapsBuilding Six on the facility’s campus is seen before the explosion[/caption]
Bone-chilling aerial footage shows the factory in McEwen, about an hour outside the state’s capital, left smoldering and in pieces after it was demolished in the explosion.
Rows of cars in the parking lot were shredded to pieces by the roaring flames and powerful impact.
Officials confirmed that people have died, but did not confirm how many bodies have been found.
According to NBC affiliate WSMV-TV, 19 people are still unaccounted for, and many others have been rushed to the hospital.
In a video taken from a helicopter, a reporter described the building as a “total loss.”
The blast took place during a regular shift change, meaning there were fewer people inside than normal, according to WSMV’s Nick Beres.
Beres reported that an entire building on the facility’s campus was destroyed by the explosion.
Pictures and videos shared by Tennessee residents online captured the massive scale of the blowout.
One local shared a picture of a plume of smoke rising into the air, and said that the factory was located just over 7.5 miles away.
Ring camera footage shared by another resident captured the explosion shaking homes and making an audible boom in the surrounding area, according to CBS affiliate WTVF.
Cody Warren said he felt tremors in Lobelville, which is 21 miles away from the factory.
The Hickman County Emergency Management Agency said that multiple agencies from surrounding counties are responding to the scene.
“At this time, we ask everyone to please keep your community, first responders, and those affected in your thoughts and prayers,” the agency wrote on social media.
The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office urged locals to avoid the area and let emergency responders “do their work.”
“We’ll continue to provide updates as we receive more information. Stay safe, everyone,” wrote the office.
AES develops, manufactures, and handles explosives for the military, aerospace, and commercial demolition.
Rows of cars were left destroyed by the explosionSKY 5
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