Authorities in Washington said the nine employees still unaccounted for in a chemical explosion are not expected to be found alive.Show Caption
A community in Washington state is awaiting the recovery of several people who were unaccounted for and presumed dead after a chemical tank exploded at an industrial plant, and mourning two people confirmed killed.The tank at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington, ruptured the morning of May 26, setting off what Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said was likely the deadliest industrial disaster in modern state history. One person was initially confirmed dead, and another has since died from injuries. Seven others were injured. Nine people remained unaccounted for as of May 27, authorities said.The search has shifted from a rescue to a presumed recovery phase, as crews have worked to stabilize the scene enough for them to safely search for the facility's nine unaccounted for employees. Once located, they will undergo decontamination and be identified by the county coroner, officials said during a news conference on May 27.As the investigation continues, community members await news about loved ones and answers about what went wrong at the paper mill and liquid packaging plant, which had a history of previous fires and alleged violations on its property."First responders, emergency workers and nurses saw unspeakable horrors," said U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washington. "We need to pull together to get the answers that we need here."Here's what we know:What happened at the paper plant?An explosion at Nippon Dynawave happened at about 7:15 a.m. local time on May 26, the Longview Fire Department said. A tank containing hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals ruptured, spilling a substance called "white liquor" across the plant.White liquor is caustic, authorities said, and is used in the production of paper products. About 550,000 gallons spilled out of the tank, Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein said.Because the chemicals and the tank were deemed unstable, responders couldn't immediately access all the areas of the facility to search for additional victims, officials said. They planned to resume the search on May 27 after working to stabilize the tank with remaining chemical.Some of the spilled material contaminated the Columbia River and nearby ditches and dikes, officials said. The Washington Department of Ecology told USA TODAY in a statement that impacted water is being flushed through the Longview ditch system to draw it away from residential area and the city's water supply and dilute it. Officials said there was no airborne contamination."There is currently no concern that drinking water supplies have been impacted. However, the longer the contaminated water remains in the ditch system, the greater the potential for it to contaminate the underlying aquifer," the Ecology Department said.Who are the victims?Authorities have not released the identities of any of the killed, injured or missing victims. One firefighter was among the injured who was treated and released the day of the explosion.One of the two deceased victims was taken to a hospital for injuries and later died. Of the other injured, seven are facility workers, officials said.The nine missing people are all employees of the mill.Inspections, complaints at facilityThe Washington State Department of Labor and Industries said it had two ongoing inspections open at Nippon Dynawave. One began in March after the department received an anonymous complaint about a valve on an aqua ammonia clarifier tank, not the same tank involved in the explosion, the department said. Another inspection opened earlier in May after a complaint about a sinkhole caused by a failed drain.The facility was inspected by the department three other times in the last five years and was cited for violations unrelated to the chemicals and storage. The violations were related to issues such as fall protection or failure to wear face coverings, the Labor and Industries Department said.The department also investigated the facility after an employee’s finger was amputated, local station KING 5 reported. Nippon Dynawave was cited for moving equipment involved before it could be inspected, but not for the incident itself, the news outlet reported.Last August, a fire on Nippon Dynawave’s property destroyed a railway warehouse, the Longview Fire Department said at the time. The Patriot Rail’s Cowlitz and Columbia Railway warehouse and locomotive repair shop building, where the fire originated, was a total loss.In July 2023, firefighters battled a blaze on the property for four days after a conveyor belt fire spread to bark chip piles and structures, according to Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue.USA TODAY previously reached out to Nippon Dynawave for comment.
