No survivors after explosion at Tennessee manufacturing plant, officials say

An explosion that ripped through a military munitions manufacturing facility in rural Tennessee on Friday left at least 18 people missing and an investigation into the cause is in progress.

Officials updated the public on Saturday and said that there are no survivors. 

“We’ve recovered no survivors,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference.

The blast struck the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) site near Bucksnort — about 60 miles west of Nashville — at around 7:45 a.m. Central Time, according to CBS News.

One of the plant’s buildings was completely obliterated, leaving only charred wreckage, twisted metal, and debris scattered across a wide radius, Reuters reported.

Officials said there have been multiple casualties. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent an elite team to respond to the incident.

"ATF’s National Response Team is an elite team comprised of highly trained investigative experts, with state-of-the-art equipment, specializing in explosives, fire and bombing investigations," the agency said in a statement. "The team, which can deploy anywhere in the United States within 24 hours of notification, is made up of special agents, certified explosives specialists, bomb technicians, explosives enforcement officers, fire protection engineers, certified fire investigators, chemists, and other specialists."