2 confirmed dead, 9 missing after chemical tank explosion in Washington – USA Today

At least two people were killed and several people were injured or unaccounted for after a chemical explosion at a Washington state industrial facility.
Authorities responded to the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, Washington, on May 26 after a tank containing about 600,000 gallons of chemicals ruptured, spilling a substance called “white liquor” across the plant.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said it’s likely “the deadliest industrial disaster” in modern state history.
Local authorities also confirmed on May 27 that seven employees and one firefighter were hospitalized. Fire officials said nine missing workers remained inside the mill in places not yet safe for first responders to access. Area Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said emergency personnel are now considering their operation a recovery mission, not a rescue mission.
Goldstein said about 550,000 gallons spilled out of the tank. The white liquor is a chemical mixture used for making paper. Authorities are working to stabilize the tank, which still contains tens of thousands of gallons of the substance.
Some of the spilled material contaminated the Columbia River and nearby ditches and dikes. City officials warned residents to stay away from those but said there was no immediate threat to the surrounding area or water supply. They also confirmed that there was no airborne contamination.
The incident has left Longview devastated. The Cowlitz County city of almost 40,000 sits about 70 miles south of Olympia.
“First responders, emergency workers and nurses saw unspeakable horrors yesterday,” U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez told reporters on May 27, speaking at a news conference near the facility. “We need to pull together to get the answers that we need here.”
Here’s what we know about the response and investigation:
Authorities said they have a plan to stabilize the chemicals remaining in the tank so that they can proceed with the search for additional victims. They had been concerned that it could collapse.
“Recovery and stabilization efforts remain extremely complex due to the ongoing hazards,” Goldstein said.
Once it’s deemed safe, the response teams will remove the remaining liquid and locate the people still unaccounted for, officials said.
They added that as emergency workers find additional people who were killed, they will undergo decontamination before being transferred to the coroner’s office for identification.
Gov. Ferguson said members of the National Guard had been deployed to help with decontamination efforts. 
Local fire officials said on May 27 that seven of the injured workers remained in local hospitals. The injured firefighter was treated and released.
Patients were initially brought to the PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, but they have been either released or transferred to other facilities in the region, PeaceHealth spokesperson Jim Murez said in an update on May 27.
Among the people initially brought to PeaceHealth was one of the people who died in the incident. Another individual taken to the hospital later died from their injuries, bringing the death toll to two, authorities said on May 27.
Some of the injured suffered chemical burns, the Longview Fire Department said earlier in the day. All families had been notified, officials said.
None of the injured or deceased has been publicly identified.
Community members attended a candlelight vigil late May 26. Some were seen holding pictures of loved ones.
“These are our people,” said Nippon Dynawave Director Brian Wood on May 27. “We’re focused on helping our responders find and recover those people, that is our focus today.”
The facility is a pulp and paper mill and a liquid packaging plant, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
The mill has about 550 employees and makes “280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard and wetlap and slush pulp each year,” according to the ecology department.
The facility produces bleached paperboard that is used to make cartons and cups for products such as milk, juice, coffee and sake, according to a news release in 2023.
White liquor consists of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate. The chemical is caustic, officials said.
Nippon Dynawave didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment when reached by USA TODAY. 

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