PinnedAt least 19 people remained missing some seven hours after a powerful explosion ripped through a central Tennessee ammunition plant early Friday, rattling residents for miles. Officials said it wasn’t yet clear what had caused the blast, which left a fiery debris field.“There’s nothing to describe,” Sheriff Chris Davis of Humphreys County, Tenn., replied when asked what remained of the factory. “It’s gone.” He said the extent of the death toll was unclear but added, “I can tell you we are missing 19 souls right now.”That uncertainty reflects the chaotic and volatile situation unleashed by the early morning explosion and a series of smaller blasts that followed. Families of employees have gathered at one gate of the plant as they wait to hear if their loved ones survived.Investigators began searching for what caused the blast, but officials cautioned that it would take time to gain some clarity about what unfolded. “This is a huge ordeal,” Sheriff Davis said at a Friday afternoon news conference, calling it “one of the most devastating situations that I’ve been on in my career.”The plant is roughly 60 miles west of Nashville, near the border of Hickman and Humphreys Counties, in a rural wooded area just off Interstate 40. The explosion was strong enough to rattle homes at least a dozen miles away and generate a plume of smoke that showed up on the weather radar of a Nashville television station.Here’s what else we’re covering:Agonizing wait: Nathan Birchard, whose girlfriend Rachel Woodall works the early shift at the plant, was among those waiting outside the facility for more information. “Please pray for my girlfriend,” he wrote on Facebook.Plant owner: The facility is operated by Accurate Energetic Systems, a company specializing “in the development, manufacture, handling and storage of a diverse array of energetic products and explosives for military, aerospace and commercial demolition markets,” according to its website.Shock waves: The jolt was so powerful that people who lived miles away thought it had happened on their own property. “It was that strong and that loud,” said Lauren Roark, who was just waking up at home in nearby McEwen. One of her children ran into the room saying they could see smoke outside.Major employer: Accurate Energetic Systems is a significant employer in the sparsely populated region. “We are a rural area, so there are a lot of folks who reside in our town who were employed there,” said Brad Rachford, the mayor of McEwen.Oct. 10, 2025, 5:30 p.m. ETDwana Hicks and her husband, Roger Dale, who live seven miles away from the munitions plant, said that while they aren’t sure what caused the explosion, they’re used to regular rumblings from the plant. The one this morning, however, was larger.Oct. 10, 2025, 5:29 p.m. ETThe munitions plant campus is sprawling, straddling two counties in rural Tennessee and employing people from multiple nearby communities. Right off the interstate that connects Tennessee, there’s just a gas station and a few homes as you take the winding road inward.Oct. 10, 2025, 5:20 p.m. ETSheriff Chris Davis of Humphreys County said this was “one of the most devastating situations I’ve been on in my career.”Credit...Brett Carlsen/Getty ImagesFor friends and family members of the 19 employees who are missing after a deadly explosion at a munitions plant in rural Tennessee, the wait for news of their loved ones has been agonizing.On Friday afternoon, Nathan Birchard was standing outside the facility, eager to hear any update from law enforcement about his girlfriend, Rachel Woodall.She had an early shift at the plant on Friday morning, he said in a brief interview, and the last time he heard from her was before she went to work.Before he drove out to the facility, he wrote a message on Facebook, “I don’t get on here and say much at all, but please pray for my girlfriend.”Carolyn Harvey, Ms. Woodall’s cousin, said that Ms. Woodall’s twin sister was also trying to learn more about what happened.“It’s just a very tragic situation,” Ms. Harvey said.Ava Hinson said her son, Jeremy Moore, had dropped his daughter off with her before heading to work at the plant. Ms. Henson said her son had been working there for nearly two decades.“We don’t know where he is,” she said.Sheriff Chris Davis of Humphreys County said the scene of the explosion, which occurred around 7:45 a.m. Central time on Friday, was “one of the most devastating situations I’ve been on in my career,” noting that it would take days to sort through the widespread wreckage.The plant, which is near the border of Hickman and Humphreys Counties, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville, provides good-paying jobs in the area.“It’s a big part of our economy,” said State Representative Jody Barrett, who lives about 15 miles from the plant and felt the explosion Friday morning.Oct. 10, 2025, 4:51 p.m. ETNicholas PipitoneReporting from TennesseeAbout 10 minutes ago, people who had gathered outside the munitions plant for news of the missing were summoned into a building, presumably for an update. The group appeared deeply anxious. At least one person was crying.Credit...John Amis/Associated PressOct. 10, 2025, 4:48 p.m. ETMultiple people were taken to the hospital after the explosion, Sheriff Davis said.Oct. 10, 2025, 3:45 p.m. ETAmong those missing from the plant is Rachel Woodall, who had an early shift this morning. Her boyfriend, Nathan Birchard, said he was standing outside the facility on Friday afternoon, waiting for the authorities to share more information with him and Woodall’s family. Before he drove out to the facility, he wrote a message on Facebook, “I don’t get on here and say much at all, but please pray for my girlfriend.”Oct. 10, 2025, 3:41 p.m. ETChristopher HippensteelSheriff Chris Davis said efforts to reach the center of the wreckage at the ammunition plant will likely be a slow process. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we’re here next week,” he said.Oct. 10, 2025, 3:34 p.m. ETThe explosion at the ammunition plant occurred at 7:45 a.m. Central time, Sheriff Chris Davis of Humphreys County said. He added that authorities are working to notify the families of all of the missing employees.Oct. 10, 2025, 3:34 p.m. ETThe road leading to Accurate Energetic Systems, a munitions plant near McEwen, Tenn., where an explosion occurred on Friday.Credit...Brett Carlsen/Getty ImagesAn explosion on Friday at a Tennessee munitions plant was so powerful that it rattled homes at least a dozen miles away and generated a plume of smoke large enough to show up on the weather radar of a Nashville television station.Lauren Roark was just waking up at home in McEwen when one of her children ran into the room saying there was smoke outside.“Sure enough, you could see gray smoke everywhere,” Ms. Roark said. It crossed her mind that the smoke could be from someone burning leaves.“Then, I could see it was debris floating down, and it’s all over our yard,” she said, adding, “Singed and burned. It looks like insulation.”Trisha Spicer, who lives more than a dozen miles away, in Lobelville, said she could not believe that what she felt came from the plant.“I thought that our propane tank on our grill blew up,” she said. “We thought something exploded right outside of our house.”Oct. 10, 2025, 3:31 p.m. ETSheriff Davis said that the scene was secure, and the cause of the explosion is currently being investigated by multiple agencies, including the F.B.I. and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Credit...Brett Carlsen/Getty ImagesOct. 10, 2025, 3:28 p.m. ETChris Davis, the sheriff of Humphreys County, said the scene of the explosion was “one of the most devastating situations I’ve been on in my career.” He said the cause of the blast was still under investigation. When asked to describe the state of building at the center of the explosion, he said: “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone.”Oct. 10, 2025, 3:25 p.m. ETThere are 19 people missing after an explosion at a Tennessee ammunition plant, said Chris Davis, the Humphreys County sheriff, at a news conference. Davis said “there are fatalities” but did not specify how many.Oct. 10, 2025, 3:07 p.m. ETState Representative Jody Barrett, a Republican, said many of his constituents work at the munitions plant, which provides high-paying jobs in the rural area. “It’s a big part of our economy,” he said. Barrett lives about 15 miles from the plant. On Friday morning, he said, he felt his house rattle from the explosion.Oct. 10, 2025, 3:06 p.m. ETAva Hinson said she last saw her son, Jeremy Moore, on Friday morning, when he dropped off his daughter with her before going to work at the munitions plant in Tennessee. Henson said her son had been working there for nearly two decades. “We don’t know where he is,” she said.