Authorities in Washington state have confirmed that all eleven workers killed in a catastrophic chemical tank rupture at a paper packaging facility have been recovered. The incident, which occurred at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview, began Tuesday when a storage tank containing approximately 900,000 gallons of industrial "white liquor" imploded.
The Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue department announced Saturday that crews had found the bodies of all nine workers who had been missing since the initial explosion. Two fatalities were confirmed shortly after the Tuesday accident, bringing the total death toll to eleven.
Hazardous Chemical Release and Environmental Concerns
The ruptured tank contained white liquor, a caustic chemical solution made of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide that is essential to the paper pulping process. Officials have confirmed that the chemical release contaminated nearby sections of the Columbia River, though they stated that no negative health impacts have been detected in the local air quality or the city of Longview's drinking water supply.
Deputy Chief Kurt Stitch of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue described a painstaking recovery operation that lasted several days. Crews worked through debris in indoor areas of the facility while also flying drones over the perimeter of the accident site to locate the missing workers.
Ongoing Investigation and Company Response
The Longview plant is operated by Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Nippon Paper Industries. The Japanese parent company, which is the second-largest paper manufacturer in Japan by sales, acquired the facility from Seattle-based timber giant Weyerhaeuser for $225 million in 2016.
Industrial safety investigators are expected to examine the cause of the tank implosion, including potential maintenance issues, structural integrity problems, or operational factors that may have led to the catastrophic failure. The use of white liquor in paper production involves high temperatures and pressures, making proper tank maintenance critical for worker safety.
Community Impact and Safety Response
The accident has shaken the Longview community, where the paper mill has been a major employer for decades. Local emergency services established a unified command structure to manage the multi-day search and recovery effort, working in coordination with state environmental agencies to monitor the spread of contaminants.
Officials continue to test soil and water samples in the area, though they have repeatedly assured residents that municipal drinking water remains safe. The Columbia River contamination is being tracked, and environmental remediation efforts are expected to follow the completion of the recovery and investigation phases.
This incident ranks among the deadliest industrial accidents in Washington state history, and federal workplace safety regulators are likely to open a comprehensive probe into safety protocols at the facility.
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May 31, 2026
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