By Fatma Zehra Solmaz
ISTANBUL (AA) - A massive Friday explosion at a military explosives plant in the US Southern state of Tennessee reportedly killed everyone on site, authorities said Saturday.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told a Saturday press conference, "I can tell you that more than 300 people have been through almost every square inch of this facility, and at this time, we've recovered no survivors," ABC news reported.
Davis added: "We can assume that they are deceased at this time."
The blast took place Friday morning at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, roughly 50 miles west of Nashville.
Davis said the operation has shifted from search to recovery.
"It's a great loss to our communities," Davis said. "We are dealing with explosions, and I would say at this time, we're dealing with remains."
Davis said officials are identifying remains and using cellphone data to trace those at the blast site.
"As we get into this, we find it more devastating than we thought initially," he said.
- Cause of blast being investigated
Davis said the cause of the blast is under investigation and that he cannot rule out foul play.
He added the probe is a "slow, methodical" process due to the scene’s volatility, with ATF explosive experts assisting law enforcement.
Officials earlier said 18 people were missing after the blast, but gave no updated figures Saturday.
Authorities said controlled explosions would be carried out during the day to remove hazardous materials and allow safe recovery and investigation.
Four to five people were hospitalized, though their injuries were not detailed.
Describing the blast site, Davis said: "There's nothing to describe. It's gone. It's probably been one of the most devastating situations that I've been on in my career."
The sheriff called it a "very big investigation" and noted it could take several days, saying: "This is not going to be something … that we're just going to clean up the debris and leave."