The death toll from a chemical tank rupture in the US state of Washington rose to 11 as crews recovered the bodies of all nine missing people, authorities said Saturday.
Two deaths had been confirmed after the tank containing “lye” – a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphide used to make paper pulp – imploded at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant on Tuesday.
The search for the missing continued through the week as rescue crews worked through debris in indoor areas and flew drones over the perimeter of the area, said Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue 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 “adverse health effects” had been detected on air quality or the city of Longview’s drinking water.
Nippon Paper Industries, Japan’s second-largest paper maker by sales, bought the Longview plant from Seattle-based wood company Weyerhaeuser for $225 million and established wholly owned subsidiary Nippon Dynawave Packaging in 2016.
