At least 16 killed in blast at military facility in US

A huge blast at a military explosives facility in Tennessee in the United States has killed at least 16 people, authorities said, lowering the toll after locating two people who were previously missing and presumed dead.

Humphreys County Sheriff Davis announced the toll on October 11, a day after the explosion at the headquarters of Accurate Energetic Systems in Bucksnort, per Al Jazeera.

The blast, which was felt for kilometres, destroyed an entire building at the plant’s large campus, according to local media.

Officials had previously said that 18 people were unaccounted for in Friday’s explosion, but Davis told reporters that two people whose vehicles and personal items were found at the scene were not actually there when the blast erupted.

Officials have notified the families of all 16 people killed, the sheriff said.

Earlier on Saturday, Davis confirmed that the operation had shifted from rescue to recovery and that investigators would use DNA testing to confirm the identities of those who died.

By Khagan Isayev