Nineteen people were missing and an unspecified number were killed after a massive blast ripped through a military explosives plant in Tennessee on Friday, officials said, with emergency responders at work at the site.
Aerial footage broadcast by US media showed smoldering debris at the factory in Hickman County, Tennessee, with charred and mangled vehicles strewn across the facility.
"At this time we have been able to confirm that we do have 19 souls that we're looking for," Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told reporters. "There are fatalities. I don't want to put a number to that... I can tell you right now we are looking for 19 individuals."
The explosion occurred at a plant run by Accurate Energetic Systems in Hickman County's Bucksnort area, prompting official warnings for the public to avoid the area amid fears of secondary explosions.
"Emergency services are currently on the scene working to address the situation," the sheriff's office in Hickman County wrote on Facebook.
Asked to describe the situation at the building where the explosion took place, Davis was succinct.
"Can I describe the building? There's nothing to describe. It's gone. It's the most devastating scene that I've seen in my career," he told reporters.
Accurate Energetic Systems, an explosives manufacturer founded in 1980, did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
The company's Facebook page says it manufactures "various high explosive compositions and specialty products" for the US Department of Defense, now rebranded as the Department of War, as well as US industrial markets.