The families of the 16 victims killed in the devastating blast at a Tennessee explosives plant have been notified.

No one has been found alive in the search and investigators are working through the scene metre by metre, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.

Initially, authorities believed that 18 individuals were unaccounted for since their cars and belongings remained at the site. However, officials later managed to find two of these people elsewhere, officials reported.

Among those hurting Saturday was Janie Brown, who sought comfort at a prayer vigil at a chapel in McEwen, Tennessee.

She said she knew and worked with some victims and their families.

“It’s going to be a sad, sad day in our community for a while,” she lamented, urging people to “give us time to heal and pray for us”.

The focus now should be on the families, not on how the tragedy occurred, she said.

“The focus should not be on the cause right now, but on the people affected, especially their families,” stated Brown, emphasizing that the victims “were cherished by their families and their communities … Everyone was familiar with them.”