Eleven confirmed dead in Washington state chemical accident, all bodies recovered


FILE PHOTO: A drone view of a chemical tank after its rupture at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging pulp and paper mill in Longview, Washington, U.S., May 26, 2026. REUTERS/David Ryder/File Photo

May 30 (Reuters) - The ⁠death toll from a chemical tank rupture ⁠in the U.S. state of Washington climbed ‌to 11 as crews recovered the bodies of all nine missing people, authorities said on Saturday.

Two fatalities had ​been confirmed after the tank containing "white ⁠liquor" - a chemical ⁠solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used ⁠in making ‌paper pulp - imploded at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on Tuesday.

The search ⁠for the missing carried on through the ​week as ‌recovery crews worked through debris in indoor ⁠areas and ​flew drones over the perimeter of the site, said Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue's deputy chief, Kurt ⁠Stitch.

The ruptured tank contained about ​900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of white liquor, and tests confirmed that contamination entered the nearby Columbia ⁠River, officials have said, although no "negative health impacts" had been detected on air quality or the city of Longview's drinking water.

Nippon Paper Industries, ​Japan’s second-biggest paper manufacturer by ⁠sales, acquired the Longview plant from Seattle-based timber ​company Weyerhaeuser for $225 million and ‌established the wholly owned subsidiary ​Nippon Dynawave Packaging in 2016.

(Reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru;Editing by William Mallard)

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