LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — The implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in southwestern Washington state on Tuesday killed an undisclosed number of people, local authorities and company officials confirmed.
In a joint statement, Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. and local law enforcement said the tank’s rupture caused “multiple critical injuries” as well as fatalities. Authorities said some victims had suffered burns or inhalation injuries. There was no immediate threat to the public, they said.
The statement, issued more than four hours after the tank imploded at 7:15 a.m., said crews were continuing recovery operations and that no identifying information would be released about victims pending notification of relatives.
Some people waited at the company’s visitor entrance on Tuesday, seeking information about loved ones who worked at the facility. They declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter.
The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility is a pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant that makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, cartons and other goods. It employs about 1,000 people, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The tank that imploded contained a chemical brew known as "white liquor,” a corrosive substance that consists mainly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide and is used to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable paper used in packaging, shopping bags and other products.
Mike Gorsuch, battalion chief with the fire department in Longview, Washington, described it as a “mass casualty scene.” He said first responders had decontaminated patients and taken them to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver, Washington.
About 40 firefighters and paramedics had responded, along with a regional hazmat team, Gorsuch said.
Thousands of residents of southern California remained evacuated Tuesday due to a damaged chemical tank at an aerospace plant.
