Officials are investigating a blast that levelled an explosives plant in rural Tennessee, as families of the 18 people missing and feared dead wait anxiously for answers.

The explosion on Friday morning at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military, scattered debris over at least a half-mile area. It was felt by residents more than 15 miles away, said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis.

Aerial footage showed the company’s hilltop location smouldering and smoky on Friday, with just a mass of twisted metal, burned-out shells of cars and an array of debris left behind.

Davis, who described it as one of the worst scenes he’s ever seen, said multiple people were killed. But he declined to say how many, referring to the 18 missing as “souls” becaus

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