A munitions plant exploded Friday morning (10/10) near the rural Tennessee town of Bucksnort, 60 miles west of Nashville. At least 16 workers at the plant are still missing and presumed dead by local authorities, with at least 4 people injured as reported by local hospital officials.
The explosion was massive, with witnesses reporting hearing the blast for miles around. First responders and law enforcement reported that the plant was absolutely devastated by the blast, with no structures left standing. Emergency services were initially unable to access the site due to continuing explosions, and federal explosives response teams are involved in the search and investigation, which has included controlled explosions of remaining explosive material and DNA analysis to identify remains.
The plant was operated by Accurate Energetic Systems (AES), a manufacturer and researcher of explosives for the US military, aerospace, oil, and commercial demolition industries. AES employed around 75 people at the plant.
The site has a recent history of killing and injuring workers—in 2014 the company Rio Ammunition stored shotgun ammunition in a section of the facility which exploded, killing one worker and injuring four others. In 2019, Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) opened an investigation at the AES plant when three workers suffered seizures after exposure to cyclonite, a highly explosive and toxic chemical. Five other workers reportedly suffered nervous system impairment after working shifts in the “Hot House,” an area in the plant where cyclonite powder was dried and screened. TOSHA inspectors said they found several “serious” violations and cited AES, claiming it had not provided proper protective equipment, safe work practices or training to employees. TOSHA gave AES five citations and a small fine of $72,000. AES argued against the citations, with one being dropped and TOSHA and AES settling on a measly $7,200 fine for poisoning the workers.
In September, the company received a $120 million contract with the Department of Defense for the manufacture of explosives for the US military. US imperialism is ramping up military spending and attempting to dramatically increase its stockpiles of weaponry, part of its deepening crisis which leads the imperialists to increase militarization and aggression against the oppressed countries and in collusion and contention with other imperialists.
In addition, the imperialists are broadly cutting safety measures and attacking working conditions across industries as part of their attempts to recover from their economic crisis. The explosion in Tennessee follows a string of recent worker killings—what the capitalists call “industrial accidents”—at workplaces across the country, such as the August explosion at Clairton Coke Works, near Pittsburgh, PA, in incidents that have left dozens of workers dead or maimed this year alone, sacrificed for the capitalists’ profits.
Image: The AES plant near Bucksnort, TN, in an undated capture from Google Maps. The plant now completely destroyed.
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