BUCKSNORT, Tenn. (WKRN) — Gov. Bill Lee is visiting members of the Hickman County and Humphreys County community two days after a blast at an explosives facility in Bucksnort, which officials believe left 16 people dead.
The explosion was reported at approximately 7:50 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 10 at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant at the Hickman/Humphreys County line.
Officials initially said that 19 employees inside the building were unaccounted for, but they later determined three people believed to be on site were not present at the time of the incident.
By Saturday, Oct. 11, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed no survivors had been found and the 16 people missing were presumed dead.
The governor was set to conduct an aerial survey of the damage, as well as meet with officials and the families of those who remain unaccounted for, on Sunday, Oct. 12. Lee was joined by local, state, and federal law enforcement to speak with the media about the situation Sunday afternoon.
“It’s an active situation, obviously very new. There’s a lot of questions that have been yet unanswered, but the folks are here that can do that work, and that work…will last for months. In an effort to get the answers that people need for closure, for understanding, just to make sure there’s a full awareness of what’s taken place on this tragic spot in this beautiful community that is so hard to watch,” Lee said.
According to Lee, the most striking part of the helicopter tour was the fact that “where there was a full, functioning facility, there’s virtually nothing.”
The governor said the magnitude of the blast was felt 20 to 30 miles away, adding that there are indications from professionals on the ground that there were seismic recordings of the explosion hundreds of miles away.
When asked about another deadly explosion at the site in 2014, Lee said it was his understanding that the incident 11 years ago involved a different company that no longer operates in this facility.
Lee described the tears and “stunned silence” among many of the victims’ family members, saying he and local officials want to help the community if they need anything going forward.
“I don’t live far from here, and I grew up in this region here, had a farm in this county. These are remarkable people. They’re very resilient. They have been through tragedy — as you know, the Waverly floods in Humphreys County just a few years ago where we had over two dozen deaths in a tragic moment, frankly, just a couple of hours,” Lee said. “They’re not inexperienced with heartache and tragedy here. This community came together in that tragedy in remarkable ways and have supported one another and recovered in a very strong fashion. It’ll happen again here today — I saw it there in the church just a few minutes ago — but nevertheless, the loss is staggering.”
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which sent its National Response Team to mitigate hazards at the site and determine what led to this incident.
“We are in day two of the National Response Team being on the ground. They are doing their walkthroughs right now, and then they will begin to process the scene. Once they have left, whether it’s weeks or months, we do have more work to do on the back end, which is the laboratory work, the origin of cause reports. We want to deliver a methodical and complete report to the community, to the citizens of Humphreys and Hickman County, on what happened to their loved ones,” explained Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tyra Cunningham of the ATF’s Nashville field division.
When asked about whether there are any lingering public health concerns related to chemicals involved in the blast, the Humphreys County sheriff promised authorities will notify the public right away if there are any dangers to the surrounding area in the aftermath of the explosion.
Davis also expressed his gratitude to community members who have offered support to those responding to the incident, whether it’s food, water, etc.
Meanwhile, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said the process of identifying remains is underway, adding that the TBI is using the latest technology for DNA comparisons on site to provide answers to the families.
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