(MENAFN- Live Mint) Day after a massive blast rocked an explosives factory in Tennessee, the United States, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said that there were no survivors. While the total number of people who died was unclear, 18 people were said to be missing.

During a news conference, the sheriff said that officials were working on the assumption that all of the people at the site were dead. The cause of the blast has also not been ascertained.

Davis had earlier confirmed the mission has shifted from a rescue to a recovery operation, as officials no longer expect to find survivors. While a precise death toll has not been released, 18 people were previously unaccounted for.

The identities of the deceased will be confirmed using DNA testing.

“More than 300 people have been through almost every square inch of this facility, and at this time, we've recovered no survivors,” Davis said, adding,“We can assume that they are deceased at this time ,” referring to 18 people missing since the explosion Friday in the town of Bucksnort.

The Humphreys County Sheriff said,“But we're going to have to slow walk that because of the scene, the way that the scene is.”

“Can I say we're going to rule out foul play? We can't answer that. That might be days or weeks or months before we can do that.”

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“It's a great loss to our communities,” he said.

The explosives factory is owned by Accurate Energetic Systems which has since suspended operations. In a statement, the company called the blast“a tragic accident.”

Investigators, including agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were still working to determine the cause of the explosion, officials said. The presence of explosives and other ordnance at the property has made searching the scene complicated.

What did the locals say?

The blast occurred at about 7:45 am. Some footage of the blast site showed the company's location smoldering and smoky.

The explosion was reportedly heard by people as far as 24 kilometers away. One witness told the BBC they heard a sudden“loud bang” and were initially unsure if it was gunfire.“All of a sudden we just a heard a loud bang . We didn't know if it was a gun or what.”

Some, who live 20 min away from the blast site, said they felt their homes shake.“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” one told The Associated Press.“I live very close to Accurate and I realised about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”

(With agency inputs)

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