8 dead, 3 still missing after Longview, WA chemical implosion
Eight dead in Longview chemical implosion
Eight people are dead and three remain missing after a massive chemical implosion at a Longview facility. Rescue teams face chest-deep water and a caustic "white liquor" that is so corrosive it is eating through their personal protective equipment. The EPA is actively monitoring the area after 500,000 gallons of the material seeped into nearby neighborhood dikes.
LONGVIEW, Wash. - Eight people are dead and three others are still missing following a chemical tank implosion at a paper mill in Longview.
Officials said in an update Thursday that they have recovered the bodies of six workers who were unaccounted for after the implosion. Three others are still missing, and two have already been confirmed dead.
Recovery efforts were delayed due to safety risks, but hazmat crews are making progress as they continue to make entry at the site.
What we know:
The chemical tank implosion happened at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Crews responded to a report of a rupture of a tank containing white liquor, which is made mostly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, is used with heat to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable material used in packaging, shopping bags and other products.
The incident initially left two people dead and eight injured, including a firefighter who was released from the hospital. Now, the death toll is presumed to be 11, as crews recovered six bodies and the three still missing likely didn't survive.
Responders are still working to navigate the industrial hazard and recover the rest of the missing workers. Officials believe they have an idea on where the remaining victims are, but there is no ETA on when they will be recovered.
The paper mill tank could hold about 900,000 gallons of white liquor and was more than half full when it ruptured, according to Cowlitz County fire chief Scott Goldstein.
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 did say some of the contamination reached the river and that testing was ongoing. They also warned residents to keep away from ditches and dikes.
The Washington Department of Ecology said it is in the process of drawing away the spill from residential areas and the city's water supply. The ditch it spilled in is located on top of a local aquifer, and crews are working to dilute it to a safe level and discharge it into the Columbia River.
9 remain missing after Longview, WA implosion
Following a chemical tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview on Tuesday morning, officials confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll has risen to two and nine workers remain missing.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet released the specific names of the victims in the implosion. Because of the toxic chemicals, officials say the victims' remains must be decontaminated before the coroner can begin the formal identification process.
Victims identified
Family members have identified one of the victims as Jared Ammons, who leaves behind a wife, two kids, and one on the way. He was described as a "loving husband, devoted father, cherished son and caring brother" and that "his loss has left an unimaginable hole in the hearts of everyone who knew him."
The other victim was identified as Gilbert Bernal, who friends say was one of the best people they've met and "was a godly man in every sense of the word."
The Source: Information in this story came from the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Longview Fire Department, The Associated Press and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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