Emergency crews in Longview, Washington, recovered the bodies of nine missing workers on Saturday, raising the final death toll to 11 following a massive industrial chemical tank rupture earlier in the week.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when a storage tank holding approximately 900,000 gallons of "white liquor" imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility.
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Two workers were killed initially, and the remaining individuals were reported missing.
Search operations spanned several days as recovery teams navigated hazardous debris inside the facility and deployed drones to survey the perimeter, according to the Cowlitz 2 fire and rescue department’s deputy chief, Kurt Stitch.
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Environmental Impact
Environmental officials confirmed that the spilled industrial solution, consisting of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in paper pulp manufacturing, leaked into the nearby Columbia River.
No negative impacts on local air quality or drinking water have been detected.
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The Longview industrial site has been operated by Nippon Dynawave Packaging since 2016, following a $225-million acquisition of the plant from the Seattle-based timber firm Weyerhaeuser by Japan's second-largest paper manufacturer, Nippon Paper Industries.
