World·UpdatedA second person who was injured when a large chemical tank ruptured at a Washington state paper mill has died, authorities said Wednesday, bringing the presumed death toll to 11, including nine people who were still missing.9 people remain missing, but authorities say there's no hope of finding further survivorsThe Associated Press · Posted: May 27, 2026 4:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 minute agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A drone-captured view of the ruptured tank at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. pulp and paper mill in Longview, Wash. (David Ryder/Reuters)A second person who was injured when a large chemical tank ruptured at a Washington state paper mill has died, authorities said Wednesday, bringing the presumed death toll to 11, including nine people who were still missing. Authorities said there was no hope of finding more survivors, but crews were set to resume searching Wednesday for those who went missing following Tuesday's tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, Wash., which also injured eight people, including a firefighter.The search was delayed over concerns that the ruptured tank might collapse further and spill more of the highly destructive liquid inside, a mixture called white liquor that is used in paper manufacturing. The rupture caused the huge circular tank to buckle on one side, and officials said they would only work during daylight because of the dangers. Authorities said the rupture hasn't affected the safety of the air and drinking water in Longview, a Columbia River city of about 40,000 people with long ties to the Washington and Oregon paper and lumber industries. But they warned residents to keep away from ditches and dikes.The paper mill tank was holding about 3.4 million litres of a liquid made of mostly sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. Known as white liquor, it is used with heat to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable material used in packaging, shopping bags and other products. The damaged tank can be seen in a wider view of the facility in Washington state. (David Ryder/Reuters)The sprawling plant, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates and cartons. It sits along the river next to other timber, paper and chemical businesses.Authorities haven't released the names of the two people whose deaths were confirmed or of those missing, but some names have begun to trickle out.Todd Cornwell said his friend, Gilbert Bernal, was an electrician at the plant and was the first confirmed death. They knew each other through church and were in the same Bible study group, he said."We actually had our group last night and instead of doing Bible study, we talked about him," Cornwell said. "He was always there willing to help in whatever needed to be done. When the local church school started flooding, he was one of the people there."'Just unfathomable'Brian Williquette, a chemical supplier for the region's mills, was at the plant Tuesday morning when he heard an alarm over the intercom and first wondered if it was drill. He was able to get out safely and didn't see any of the damage.A candle is placed at a vigil in Longview on Tuesday, after the tank rupture at the pulp and paper mill. (David Ryder/Reuters)"It's just unfathomable," he said at a community vigil Tuesday. "There's not anybody that lives here that doesn't know somebody at a paper mill."Crystal Moldenhauer, a Longview resident, said she has friends at the plant who remained unaccounted for. She said people called and texted each other all day trying to figure out what happened."We're all still waiting for answers," she said. "There's families that have been torn apart, and we don't know why."The cause of the implosion remained unclear. Nippon Paper Group in a statement said Wednesday that it was offering its "deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families." Scott Goldstein, a fire chief with Cowlitz County, said Tuesday night that the tank still held more than 340,000 litres of the volatile liquid. "We don't know until we know, hopefully tomorrow, how we can stabilize the tank. Do we remove the product first? Do we stabilize the tank first or the vice versa?" Goldstein said.Hours after the disaster, officials repeatedly referred to the situation as a recovery effort.