The death toll from a chemical spill at a paper manufacturing facility in the northwestern United States has risen to eight, while rescue teams continue searching for three workers still unaccounted for.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at a paper plant operated by Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington, after a massive storage tank containing hazardous chemicals collapsed during an early morning shift change.
Authorities said the tank, which held approximately 900,000 gallons of “white liquor” — a highly corrosive industrial substance used in paper production — ruptured unexpectedly, triggering an emergency response.
Providing an update on Thursday, Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig confirmed that additional victims had been recovered from the site.
“We can confirm that six of the nine individuals have been recovered,” Hannig said during a press briefing, adding that officials were still working with the coroner to notify affected families.
Two fatalities had earlier been confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths to eight. The remaining three missing persons are feared dead.
White liquor, commonly used in the paper-making process, contains chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, which help break down wood into pulp.
According to emergency responders, recovery efforts remain challenging due to the dangerous conditions at the facility.
“Rescuers are working in an active and hazardous recovery environment,” Hannig explained.
Officials also moved to calm public fears over possible environmental contamination following the spill.
“Longview’s water is safe,” Chris Collins, the city’s public works director, assured residents during the briefing.
Similarly, federal environmental authorities said air quality monitoring had not detected harmful contamination linked to the incident.
Brooks Stanfield, an on-site officer with the Environmental Protection Agency, stated that officials had found no traces of hydrogen sulfide or other air pollutants that could pose immediate health risks.
Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Paper Group, manufactures billions of single-use food containers annually for customers across North America, Asia, and other global markets.
The cause of the tank failure is yet to be determined as investigations continue.
