Posted on 10/12/2025 2:20:12 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: "Pray for the AES families".
Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people presumed dead.
This community of Hickman and Humphreys Counties is "not huge, so that's a lot of people to lose in an instant," Deacon Danny Bates said to the approximately 40 attendees, who comforted each other and sang hymns such as "It Is Well With My Soul".
"It was just another day at work, and then in an instant, they were gone. We have unanswered questions".
Vigil-goer Jerri Newcombe said her friend of more than 20 years was among the victims. The two met when Newcombe's granddaughter and the victim's daughter became close as little girls.
"They grew up together - we were in each other's homes," Newcombe told the BBC at the vigil. "We celebrated birthdays together. It's just surreal, because she's gone and her babies are hurting," she said, referring to the victim's children and grandchildren.
Local police have not publicly identified any of the unaccounted-for victims, who authorities presume have all been killed.
Her friend was "full of life", Ms Newcombe said. "She was the type of person that could make you laugh over anything, but you didn't cross her either, or she would tear into you," Ms. Newcombe added amid tears and laughter, as her granddaughter comforted her.
Bucksnort is a close-knit town where the cell service is spotty and a gas station - adorned with a Confederate flag centrepiece - is the local watering hole, residents say. This tragedy has hit the area hard as the...
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
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Somebody pulled the wrong lever, pushed the wrong button, or mixed the wrong chemical or powder and that fatal mistake killed them and all of their coworkers in one massive explosion.
Figuring that out will take some time, and they will need an experienced explosives expert to determine the cause... God be with the families. They will need a lot help and assistance.
Good luck with that.
I keep wondering about the two who were located. Originally, they said 18 were missing. Maybe it really was only 16. I wondered if a couple of people took the day off.
Here is a link to an article with many photos of when Gov. Bill Lee visited the facility in 2020.
There appears to be many women employed there in what looks to be in a non-administrative capacity.
The list of dead is expected to be released tomorrow.
It would not surprise me if there are a significant number of females that perished.
The article you provided indicates that at least 1 female died.
Pretty sure I saw a report two were found elsewhere and hadn’t been there that day.
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