The cause of the deadly blast remained under investigation. Crews were carefully going through incinerated property, searching for possible evidence.

The explosion happened at Accurate Energetic Systems in Hickman and Humphreys counties in Tennessee on Friday morning.

A community prayer is planned for 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Humphreys County Courthouse, 100 N. Court Square in Waverly. The public is invited to pray and support the families of AES, organizers said on a flyer advertising the event. All are welcome.

A deadly and “devastating blast” Friday morning at an explosives plant in Tennessee has left 18 people unaccounted for, authorities said. Officials have said that multiple people were killed at Accurate Energetic Systems near McEwen, but Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis declined to give a number.

According to its website, AES LLC sells explosives and “energetic products” to the military and aerospace industries as well as commercial demolition companies. Its production site in Bucksnort, Tennessee, was cited for five OSHA violations in November 2019, two of them marked as serious, though the case against them was closed in March 2023.

All 16 people inside the building that exploded at Accurate Energetic Systems Oct. 10 are dead, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at an Oct. 11 press conference.

An explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in Tennessee resulted in 16 deaths. ATF and local investigators are working to determine the cause, amidst community grief and a cautious search operation.