The death toll from a chemical tank burst in the US state of Washington rose to 11 as crews recovered the bodies of nine missing people, authorities said on Saturday.
Two deaths were confirmed after a tank containing “white liquor,” a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in the manufacture of paper pulp, imploded at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on Tuesday.
The search for the missing continued throughout the week as recovery teams worked through the rubble in interior areas and flew drones over the perimeter of the site, said Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Kurt Stitch.
The ruptured tank contained about 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of white liquor, and testing confirmed that the contamination entered the nearby Columbia River, officials said, although no “negative health impacts” were detected on the city of Longview’s air quality or drinking water.
Nippon Paper Industries, Japan’s second-largest paper maker by sales, acquired the Longview plant of Seattle-based lumber company Weyerhaeuser for $225 million and established wholly owned subsidiary Nippon Dynawave Packaging in 2016.
