The death toll from a chemical tank rupture at a pulp and paper mill in Longview, Washington, has risen to 11, with authorities confirming on Saturday that the bodies of all nine missing individuals have been recovered.
Two fatalities had been confirmed earlier after a tank containing "white liquor" — a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in making paper pulp — imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on Tuesday. The search for the missing continued throughout the week, as recovery crews sifted through debris in indoor areas and deployed drones to scan the perimeter of the site, according to Kurt Stitch, deputy chief of the Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue Department.
The ruptured tank held approximately 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of white liquor. Officials reported that tests confirmed contamination entered the nearby Columbia River, but no negative health impacts have been detected on air quality or the drinking water supply of Longview.
Nippon Paper Industries, Japan's second-largest paper manufacturer by sales, acquired the Longview plant from Seattle-based timber company Weyerhaeuser for $225 million in 2016 and established it as a wholly owned subsidiary, Nippon Dynawave Packaging.
