The death toll from a catastrophic chemical tank rupture in Washington state has risen to 11 after recovery crews successfully located the bodies of all nine missing workers, local authorities confirmed on Saturday.
The tragedy began on Tuesday when a massive industrial tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging pulp and paper mill in Longview, Washington. Emergency officials initially confirmed two fatalities, but a painstaking, days-long search through hazardous wreckage was required to locate the remaining victims, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Deadly chemical tank implosion at Washington plant.
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At least one person has died, nine people were injured and nine others remain unaccounted for after a large vat of chemical treatment product, including hazardous materials, imploded at a paper and packaging facility in… pic.twitter.com/rMc1anCSzb
Recovery teams from Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue worked around the clock, navigating tangled indoor debris and deploying drones to survey the perimeter of the disaster site.
"The search for the missing carried on through the week," said Deputy Chief Kurt Stitch, noting the grueling conditions crews faced before all victims were finally accounted for.
The ruptured tank held approximately 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of "white liquor"—a highly corrosive chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used to break down wood into paper pulp. Environmental officials confirmed that some of the chemical runoff contaminated the nearby Columbia River. However, ongoing testing indicates that the city of Longview’s drinking water remains safe, and no negative impacts on local air quality have been detected.
The Longview facility is operated by Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Paper Industries—Japan’s second-largest paper manufacturer. The global firm acquired the timber and paper plant in 2016 from Seattle-based Weyerhaeuser for $225 million.
Investigations into what triggered the deadly tank failure are expected to intensify now that recovery operations have concluded.
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