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Downtown Nashville in the US state of Tennessee was rocked Friday by the deliberate explosion of a motor home. Local police said on Twitter that it was assumed it was a deliberate act. At least three people were slightly injured and hospitalized. Shortly before the detonation, there was apparently a warning for residents.
The explosion shattered windows and water pipes, the surrounding buildings were blackened and the road was littered with branches and glass splinters. The explosion occurred at 6:30 a.m. local time (1:30 p.m. CET) and could be felt several blocks away.
FBI officials from the US Federal Police and the federal agency responsible for weapons and explosives launched investigations. US President Donald Trump will also be briefed on the situation in Nashville, according to a White House spokeswoman. Police cordoned off downtown Nashville heavily.
Mayor John Cooper said on Twitter that police and federal forces are now investigating the exact cause of the explosion. “It appears that a bomb has exploded,” Cooper said in a statement broadcast on WKRN.
Shortly before the blast, police were alerted to the shooting, cops at the scene were suspicious of the parked motorhome, police spokesman Don Aaron said, without giving details. Police alerted explosives experts and brought residents to safety. The sniffer dogs searched the area for possible additional explosives, but found nothing.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake later said the trailer had a loudspeaker announcement warning of an impending bomb detonation and urging residents to safety. It is not yet clear if there was a person in the caravan.
A video about this is circulating on Twitter showing a section of the road and a warning ad can be heard, shortly after a large explosion shakes the image.
One police officer suffered hearing damage from the blast and another was forcibly knocked down but was not injured, spokesman Aaron said.
“We are very lucky,” said Mayor John Cooper, given the low number of injuries. The property damage is “limited, but spectacular.”
Dozens of social media users had taken photos and videos showing black smoke over the city center after the blast around 6:30 a.m. A reporter for local broadcaster WKRN tweeted a video providing an overview of the situation after the explosion:
Other WKRN reporters said they had felt the impact of the blast in their downtown studio. The mayor and emergency services wanted to provide more details during the day.
With nearly 700,000 residents, Nashville is the capital of the state of Tennessee in the southern United States. Due to its many live music bars and record labels, it is considered the center of country music and is also called the “City of Music”. (dpa)
