BUCKSNORT, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two days following a tragic incident, Gov. Bill Lee visited the communities of Hickman County and Humphreys County after a devastating explosion at an explosives facility in Bucksnort, believed to have resulted in 16 fatalities.

The explosion occurred around 7:50 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, located on the border of Hickman and Humphreys counties.

Initially, 19 workers were reported missing inside the facility. However, it was later confirmed that three of these individuals were not present at the plant during the incident.

By Saturday, Oct. 11, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed no survivors had been found and the 16 people missing were presumed dead.

The governor planned an aerial inspection of the affected area and meetings with officials and families of the missing on Sunday, Oct. 12. Accompanied by local, state, and federal authorities, Lee addressed the media about the ongoing crisis later that afternoon.

“It’s a developing situation, clearly in the early stages. Many questions remain open, but the right teams are in place to conduct the necessary investigations, which will likely take months. Our goal is to provide the answers needed for closure, understanding, and full transparency about the events that occurred at this sorrowful site within this beautiful community,” Lee expressed.

Gov. Lee noted that during his helicopter tour, the most impactful sight was witnessing the drastic transformation from a “fully operational facility” to “essentially nothing.”

The governor said the magnitude of the blast was felt 20 to 30 miles away, adding that there are indications from professionals on the ground that there were seismic recordings of the explosion hundreds of miles away.

When asked about another deadly explosion at the site in 2014, Lee said it was his understanding that the incident 11 years ago involved a different company that no longer operates in this facility.

Lee described the tears and “stunned silence” among many of the victims’ family members, saying he and local officials want to help the community if they need anything going forward.

“I don’t live far from here, and I grew up in this region here, had a farm in this county. These are remarkable people. They’re very resilient. They have been through tragedy — as you know, the Waverly floods in Humphreys County just a few years ago where we had over two dozen deaths in a tragic moment, frankly, just a couple of hours,” Lee said. “They’re not inexperienced with heartache and tragedy here. This community came together in that tragedy in remarkable ways and have supported one another and recovered in a very strong fashion. It’ll happen again here today — I saw it there in the church just a few minutes ago — but nevertheless, the loss is staggering.”

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which sent its National Response Team to mitigate hazards at the site and determine what led to this incident.

“We are in day two of the National Response Team being on the ground. They are doing their walkthroughs right now, and then they will begin to process the scene. Once they have left, whether it’s weeks or months, we do have more work to do on the back end, which is the laboratory work, the origin of cause reports. We want to deliver a methodical and complete report to the community, to the citizens of Humphreys and Hickman County, on what happened to their loved ones,” explained Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tyra Cunningham of the ATF’s Nashville field division.

When asked about whether there are any lingering public health concerns related to chemicals involved in the blast, the Humphreys County sheriff promised authorities will notify the public right away if there are any dangers to the surrounding area in the aftermath of the explosion.

Davis also expressed his gratitude to community members who have offered support to those responding to the incident, whether it’s food, water, etc.

Meanwhile, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said the process of identifying remains is underway, adding that the TBI is using the latest technology for DNA comparisons on site to provide answers to the families.