No survivors are expected to be found after a major explosion at a Tennessee munitions factory on Friday that has left 18 people unaccounted for.
Recovery teams are still clinging to hope of finding any of the missing alive, but assume they are deceased, said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis.
As we get into this, we find it even more devastating than we thought initially, he told a news conference.
It's still unclear what caused the explosion at the plant in Bucksnort, Tennessee - roughly 56 miles (90km) south-west of Nashville. The facility specializes in the development and manufacture of explosives.
Video footage taken on Friday showed fires still burning, charred vehicles, and smoke rising from the razed building. Officials said debris was scattered for half a mile around where the building once stood.
Accurate Energetic Systems (AES), which runs the plant, has suspended its operations.
More than 300 state and local first responders have been searching the site since Friday morning, Sheriff Davis said on Saturday.
The expectation of anyone who's inside of that building… we can assume that they are deceased, he told media.
By Saturday morning, the rescue mission had shifted to a recovery operation, said a visibly choked-up Davis.
The FBI is also at the scene conducting rapid DNA tests to identify victims and notify families.
We're trying to focus as much attention as we can, on taking care of their families, Sheriff Jason Craft, from neighbouring Hickman County, told the BBC.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is at the scene helping to investigate the incident.
There was a previous fatal explosion at a unit in the same location in 2014.
Residents from miles around reported hearing the blast, with some witnessing debris and smoke rising from the site.
The local community, already strained by the tragedy, now faces an anxious wait for news as they prepare for a profound loss that will impact families and friends across Bucksnort.
