Cause of munitions plant blast still probed; victims ID’d

Authorities on Monday were still combing the site of an explosion that killed 16 workers and leveled a building at Accurate Energetic Systems in rural McEwen, Tenn. They were probing whether the Friday blast was an accident, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.

Agents had to clear each sector of the site of explosive hazards and remains before looking for further evidence of the blast’s cause, according to an official from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Investigations slowed because the materials at the blast site were still volatile, Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft said. The investigation had to cover a lot of ground. Debris was reported about two and a half miles from the site of the explosion, he said on Saturday.

The sheriffs on Monday also released the names of those presumed dead. Experts were in the process of collecting samples for final DNA identification, Davis said. The victims included his neighbor and one of his best friends, he said.

Who were the victims of the disaster?

• Jason Adams

• Erick Anderson

• Billy Baker

• Adam Boatman

• Christopher Clark

• Mindy Clifton

• James Cook

• Reyna Gillahan

• LaTeisha Mays

• Jeremy Moore

• Melinda Rainey

• Melissa Stanford

• Trenton Stewart

• Rachel Woodall

• Steven Wright

• Donald Yowell

Dig deeper: Read my initial report on the explosion and the facility.