Death toll in blast at Tennessee military explosives plant updated to 16

Investigators now believe a massive blast at a Tennessee military explosives facility killed 16 people, officials say.

Officials had previously said 18 people were unaccounted for in Friday’s explosion, but two people whose vehicles and personal items were found at the scene were not actually there when the blast erupted, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis says at a press conference.

The explosion, which was felt for miles, leveled a building at the 1,300-acre (5-square-kilometer) headquarters of Accurate Energetic Systems about an hour’s drive west of Nashville. Officials have notified the families of all 16 people killed, the sheriff says.

Investigators — including agents from the FBI and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — are still working to determine the cause of the explosion, officials say. The presence of explosives and other ordnance at the property has made searching the scene complicated.

Accurate Energetic Systems develops, manufactures, and stores explosives for “military, aerospace, and commercial demolition markets,” according to the company’s website. The headquarters includes eight production buildings and a quality lab.