Nineteen people are dead or missing after a massive blast obliterated a building at a Tennessee explosives facility on Friday, authorities said — a “mass detonation” so significant that it rattled homes miles away.

The early-morning explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, which manufactures military and demolition explosives, left charred debris and mangled vehicles across a vast area. The blast was felt as far as 15 miles away and scattered debris over half a square mile. Advertisement

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said there are fatalities but did not want to declare a death toll yet — just that “we’re missing 19 souls.”

“I always wish for the best,” Davis said. “Is there a possibility that somebody might be injured somewhere, or somebody that we don’t know about? Yes.”

Davi

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