ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
In a rural town near Nashville, a powerful blast tore through a military explosives plant yesterday. The latest from officials today is that no survivors have been found. At least 18 people are missing and feared dead. Cynthia Abrams from member station WPLN has been in the community this morning and is with us now to talk about the latest. Hi, Cynthia.
CYNTHIA ABRAMS, BYLINE: Hi.
LIMBONG: So tell us where you are and what you've been seeing today.
ABRAMS: Yeah, I'm out here in Hickman and Humphrey (ph) counties in Tennessee. It's about 60 miles southwest of Nashville. It's where Accurate Energetic Systems, the company where the blast, is. You know, it's very spread out, very rural out here, quiet. The interstate is nearby, but there's not many businesses.
The company - it's big, it's on 1,300 acres, and it's been here since 1980. So the community is familiar with the company. And the feeling of blasts aren't unfamiliar to them, either. Neighbors tell us that the company often does test blasts that people can feel nearby, but they are nothing like what was felt yesterday.
LIMBONG: Yeah, what are people telling you about what yesterday's blast felt like?
ABRAMS: So it sounds like it was this earth-shaking blast. I talked to various people who were dozens of miles away, and they said they could feel the blast. Some described it as a gunshot or a sonic boom. One man, Greg Wilkes, was hunting around 15 miles away and described it like this.
GREG WILKES: The shockwave almost knocked me out of the tree, and then you could actually see it go through the woods, shaking the leaves and the limbs.
ABRAMS: So we began to see aerial images soon after. We could see that one building was completely gone. Cars were on fire. So the damage is sizable.
LIMBONG: Yeah. I imagine that many people are struggling as a result of what happened. Can you tell us about the impact this is having on the community?
ABRAMS: Yeah, it's clearly devastating for this community. You know, this is a place that has had some significant tragedies in recent years, including the most deadly flood in state history four years ago, and now there's this. So yesterday, the Humphrey County Sheriff Chris Davis became emotional as he described the scene and efforts of emergency responders.
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CHRIS DAVIS: You want me to be honest? Anytime we do something like this - it's just like I said in the flood - you know, it's hell. But in the time we try to start seeing what we're seeing, putting things together, talking to families, talking to victims, talking to interviews and arranging it, it's hell. It's hell on us. It's hell on everybody involved.
ABRAMS: And already, we're seeing vigils pop up. A small crowd got together last night at a nearby park, singing "Amazing Grace" and praying for the victims, and two more are planned for today.
LIMBONG: What do we know about this facility?
ABRAMS: So we know that Accurate Energetic Systems works with a variety of explosives for the military, commercial demolition firms and the aerospace industry, and we know that a lot of agencies will be looking into this. The investigation will be led by both counties - the facility straddles two - and officials from the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco and Firearms, Tennesse Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security.
LIMBONG: What has the company said about the blast?
ABRAMS: So the company's CEO today said that prayers are needed. He said, quote, "you know we love the folks that are part of AES, and our hearts are broken for the families and our loved ones who lost their lives. Please pray."
LIMBONG: That's Cynthia Abrams with member station WPLN. Thanks so much for joining us.
ABRAMS: You're welcome.
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