Investigators do not expect to find any survivors at the scene of a massive blast at a Tennessee military explosives company that left 18 people missing, officials said on Saturday (October 11, 2025).

The explosion, which was felt for miles, leveled a building at the 1,300-acre (5 square km) headquarters of Accurate Energetic Systems early Friday (October 10) morning in Bucksnort, about an hour’s drive west of Nashville.

“More than 300 people have been through almost every square inch of this facility, and at this time, we’ve recovered no survivors,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told reporters. “It’s a great loss to our communities.”

Officials did not offer a precise death toll but have previously said 18 people were unaccounted for. Mr. Davis confirmed the operation had shifted from rescue to recovery and that investigators would use DNA testing to confirm the identities of those who died.

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

In a statement on Friday (October 10), the company thanked first responders but did not indicate a possible cause.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, coworkers, and community members affected by this incident,” the company said.

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.

A small ammunition explosion at the plant in 2014 killed one person and injured three, according to local news reports.

A powerful blast ripped through a military explosives manufacturing plant in rural Tennessee on Friday (October 10, 2025) morning, rattling homes miles away and bringing emergency responders to the scene, authorities and residents said.

The explosion happened at Accurate Energetic Systems near the town of Bucksnort, about 97 km southwest of Nashville, the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office said. The agency asked people in a social media post to avoid the area to allow responders to do their work.

Emergency responders could not yet go in because there continue to be explosions, Hickman County Advanced EMT David Stewart told The Associated Press by telephone. He said he didn’t have any details on whether anyone had been hurt.

Accurate Energetic Systems did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on Friday (October 10) morning.

Video from the scene showed a burning debris field with smoke billowing into the air. WTVF-TV in Nashville broadcast images of debris strewn about the site, with damaged vehicles in a parking lot. The news station said it received calls from people in the area who felt a large explosion.

Residents in Lobelville, more than a 20-minute drive from the manufacturer, said they felt their homes shake and some people captured the loud boom of the explosion on their home cameras.