Washington state chemical tank collapse leaves 11 feared dead as search shifts to recovery
By Ismail Shakil and Daphne Psaledakis
LONGVIEW, Wash. (Reuters) - The search for nine workers who went missing after a chemical tank imploded at a Washington state paper mill early Tuesday has officially transitioned from a rescue mission to a recovery effort, authorities said Wednesday, bringing the likely death toll to 11.
Two deaths had already been confirmed. Eight others were hospitalized, some with critical injuries.
“We’re bracing for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history,” Governor Bob Ferguson told reporters alongside local officials. “What happened here is devastating, and we will pursue every possible answer for the families and the community.”
The blast occurred at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, about 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon. A 900,000-gallon vat containing “white liquor” — a caustic sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide solution used in paper pulping — suddenly imploded, spraying the hazardous chemical across the facility. White liquor can cause severe chemical burns on contact.
The cause of the implosion remains under investigation. Longview Fire Battalion Chief Matt Amos said recovery work would proceed slowly inside the “extremely hazardous” environment, noting that the tank itself is still leaking and structural stability remains a concern.
Cowlitz 2 Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said it was unknown exactly where the missing workers were when the tank ruptured, adding that “we’ve searched the area that was searchable.” He estimated that between 550,000 and 570,000 gallons of the chemical had escaped the tank, with more still slowly seeping out.
Officials also confirmed that contaminated runoff entered the Columbia River, prompting water sampling and environmental assessments. “Additional evaluations are underway to better understand the scope and extent of that environmental impact,” Goldstein said, though he noted that no negative impacts to local air quality or the city of Longview’s drinking water system have been identified so far. About a dozen dead carp were found in the vicinity, raising concerns about aquatic life.
The incident has reignited scrutiny of industrial safety practices at pulp and paper mills, where aging infrastructure and high-pressure chemical processes pose persistent risks. Nippon Paper Industries, Japan’s second-largest paper producer by sales, acquired the Longview plant in 2016 from Weyerhaeuser for $225 million, operating it through its wholly-owned subsidiary Nippon Dynawave Packaging.
Separately, authorities in Southern California reported late Tuesday that an overheating chemical tank at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove — which had earlier prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents — no longer posed an explosion risk. “After an extensive operation, we’re happy to report that all evacuation orders have been lifted,” said Orange County Fire Authority Interim Chief TJ McGovern. No injuries were reported in that incident.
The back-to-back chemical scares underscore vulnerabilities in industrial containment infrastructure and the cascading consequences when such systems fail. Regulators and lawmakers are likely to face renewed calls for stricter inspection requirements and emergency preparedness protocols in the wake of the Washington tragedy.
As the recovery drags on, families of the missing have gathered at a nearby community center, awaiting news. “Our hearts are broken,” said Maria Gutierrez, whose brother worked the night shift. “We just want him back — we need to know.”
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Daphne Psaledakis and Brad Brooks; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Donna Bryson)