Bomb squad is called after RV explodes in Nashville 

1.6k

View
comments

Nashville police have confirmed the huge explosion that shattered windows and shook the ground before dawn on Friday morning was a bomb and they are now using sniffer dogs to comb the area to look for any more devices. 

The explosion happened at 6.40am local time and came from a parked vehicle on Second Avenue, outside the AT&T building, between Church Street and Commerce Street – an area where there are bars, restaurants, retailers and apartments.  

Forty minutes earlier, police received a call of shots fired. They got to the scene but saw no evidence of a shooting. 

Instead, they came across an RV. They inspected it, realized there was a bomb inside and called the bomb squad then started evacuating people from nearby buildings. 

At 6.40am, while explosives teams were on their way, the bomb detonated.  

There were multiple cops on the scene, including one who was knocked to the ground and has, at least temporarily, lost his hearing. 

Three people were taken to the hospital in total – it’s unclear if they are cops or civilians.  

No suspect has been identified and police have shut off downtown Nashville while they continue to search the area. The explosive was so intense that it’s impossible to tell whether anyone was inside the vehicle.   

At a press conference shortly before 10am, police spokesman Don Aaron said it was an ‘intentional act’ but he did not give any information about potential suspects or motives. 

Mayor John Cooper said after surveying the scene that it ‘looks like a bomb went off’. 

The area has now been sealed off while police comb the area. 

‘The explosion was significant as you can see from the street. The police department, it’s partners, the FBI and ATF are conducting a large scale investigation. We do believe the explosion was an intentional act,’ Aaron said.

In a later update, he said: ‘A number of our police dogs have been called ad are searching the area.

‘These  are explosive detection dogs to make sure there are no secondary devices, out of an abundance of caution. 

‘We’re also going to be conducting searches of downtown buildings to make sure there’s no one in need of help.’ 

He revealed that police started evacuating people from the area before the explosion.  

It’s unclear who called the police to report the suspicious vehicle or why they thought it was suspicious.  

Residents reporting feeling the ground shake ten blocks away. 

The blast caused damage to downtown buildings like broken windows, but no injuries have been reported and no serious harm was caused.   

‘There is an incident involving an explosion. This is an active scene. Metro Nashville Police Department and Nashville Fire Department are on the scene. 

‘There are no additional details to provide at this time,’ the Nashville Fire Department said in a statement. 

Within minutes of the blast, social media lit up with people reporting that they felt it and the ground ‘shaking’. 

Other videos emerged of small, break-out fires and people screaming in the street but miraculously no one has been seriously injured. 

Mayor Cooper said he believes the fact it was Christmas Day means there were fewer casualties. 

Speaking with assembled media later in the morning, mayor John Cooper said the area was filled with ‘a lot of broken glass and insulation that has been blown up into trees’.

He added that broken mains were sending water flooding out into the street.

‘It looks like a bomb went off,’ he said.

Cooper claimed the city’s Downtown area was quieter on Christmas morning than on other days as most residents were still asleep and were not headed out to work.

He believed that helped minimize the number of people left injured in the blast.