At least 19 people are missing after a huge blast at a US military explosives factory, a local official has said, with the incident causing an unspecified number of "fatalities".
Aerial footage broadcast by US media showed smouldering debris at the blast site in Hickman County, Tennessee, with charred and destroyed vehicles strewn across the facility.
Emergency responders rushed to the site, with the incident prompting warnings for the public to avoid the area.
"At this time we have been able to confirm that we do have 19 souls that we're looking for," said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis at a press conference.
Watch: Emergency services attend site of blast at US military explosives factory
Mr Davis confirmed that there "are fatalities", but added: "I don't want to put a number to that."
He said: "We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation.
"We do have some that are deceased.
"But we're going to go back and like I say, talk to these families, notify these families."
Mr Davis said authorities had secured the area, but warned of the possibility of smaller explosions around the site.
The local sheriff's office wrote on Facebook that "there has been an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in the Bucksnort area".
"Emergency services are currently on the scene working to address the situation," it added.
The mayor's office in Hickman County told AFP that it could not immediately confirm any fatalities or the cause of the explosion.
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.
