Local authorities and company officials reported that a rupture at a chemical tank inside a facility of Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company, a pulp and paper mill in southwestern Washington, left one dead and 9 people missing.
A 900,000-gallon tank holding white liquor, which is a corrosive compound used in the paper-making process, ruptured at the mill in Longview, Washington, early Tuesday morning.
Mike Gorsuch, battalion chief with the fire department in Longview, called the site a “mass casualty scene”. He reported that emergency teams decontaminated the victims before transporting them to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver. Around 40 firefighters, paramedics, and regional hazardous materials teams were deployed to the scene.
Recovery operations were underway hours later after the incident occurred around 7.15 am local time.
According to the Associated Press, authorites said the identities of the victims would only be released after their families had been informed.
The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company operates a pulp and paper mill, and liquid packaging plant, that produces materials used in tissues, printing paper, cartons, and plates. The Washington State Department of Ecology reported an estimate of around 1,000 workers employed in the facility,
The company released a joint statement along with law enforcement officials, stating that the tank rupture resulted in multiple fatalities and serious injuries, including burn and inhalation cases.
Officials reported that there was no immediate danger to the public.
Rescue workers suspended the operations in the evening due to the ongoing threat of exposure to corrosive chemicals.
Matt Amos from the Longview Fire Department said late Tuesday, “Due to the instability of the site, some areas remain inaccessible at this time.”
Latest reports on the incident reveal that the tank was 10 times larger than what was initially stated by first responders. Fire department officials on Tuesday evening also classified the rupture as a “failure” after previously calling it an “implosion”.
