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🇮🇱 Israel /Disasters & Emergencies

Search shifts to rescue as 11 feared dead in Washington state chemical tank explosion

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The search for nine missing individuals after a chemical tank explosion in Washington state has shifted to a recovery effort, with the death toll expected to reach 11.
  • Authorities are investigating the cause of the implosion of a 900,000-gallon vat containing "white liquor," a hazardous chemical used in paper production.
  • Contamination has entered the Columbia River, though no negative health impacts on the local air quality or drinking water have been identified.

The search for nine people missing after a chemical tank imploded at a Washington state packaging facility has officially transitioned to a recovery operation, authorities announced Wednesday. The incident, which occurred early Tuesday at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview, has already claimed two lives, and officials now anticipate the total death toll could reach 11.

We're bracing ourselves for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history.

— Bob FergusonWashington Governor Bob Ferguson addressed the severity of the incident during a news conference.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the implosion of a massive 900,000-gallon vat. The container held "white liquor," a caustic chemical solution used in the paper pulp manufacturing process that can cause severe burns upon contact with skin. The hazardous nature of the substance and the environment has prompted fire officials to describe the recovery effort as a slow and extremely hazardous undertaking.

Concerns about environmental impact have also surfaced, as testing confirmed that contamination from the incident entered the Columbia River. While further evaluations are ongoing to understand the full scope of the environmental consequences, officials stated that there have been no identified negative health impacts on the surrounding air quality or the city of Longview's drinking water system. Approximately 550,000 to 570,000 gallons of the chemical are estimated to have escaped the tank.

As of this morning, we declared this incident a transition from rescue to recovery.

— Scott GoldsteinCowlitz 2 Fire Chief Scott Goldstein informed the press about the shift in operational focus from rescue to recovery efforts.

Governor Bob Ferguson described the event as potentially the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history. The Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility is a subsidiary of Japan's Nippon Paper Industries, which acquired the plant in 2016.

Testing of water samples has confirmed contamination entered the Columbia River during the day yesterday. Additional evaluations are underway to better understand the scope and extent of that environmental impact.

— Scott GoldsteinCowlitz 2 Fire Chief Scott Goldstein provided an update on the environmental contamination following the chemical tank rupture.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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