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 shared the pain of losing a friend of over 20 years among the victims, reflecting on their shared experiences of raising children together. They grew up together - we were in each other's homes, she recalled.
The explosion, which resonated throughout the region, prompted a flurry of first responders to the site, as hopes for survivors dwindled rapidly. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis expressed the community's collective sorrow, stating, At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid. We are dealing with remains.
Investigation efforts are now underway by federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with controlled detonations anticipated in response to the hazardous conditions at the site. Community leaders have emphasized the vital role of local support in healing during this trying time, reinforcing that in Bucksnort, everyone is family.
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 shared the pain of losing a friend of over 20 years among the victims, reflecting on their shared experiences of raising children together. They grew up together - we were in each other's homes, she recalled.
The explosion, which resonated throughout the region, prompted a flurry of first responders to the site, as hopes for survivors dwindled rapidly. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis expressed the community's collective sorrow, stating, At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid. We are dealing with remains.
Investigation efforts are now underway by federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with controlled detonations anticipated in response to the hazardous conditions at the site. Community leaders have emphasized the vital role of local support in healing during this trying time, reinforcing that in Bucksnort, everyone is family.
