LONGVIEW, Wash. — Governor Bob Ferguson has ordered all flags to be at half-staff this Sunday in honor of the eleven killed in the blast at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview.
11 people were killed in Tuesday’s implosion. It happened during the middle of a shift change.
Flags at all state agency facilities will be lowered from May 31 through Sunday, June 7.
The plant is still a hazardous environment for first responders. On Friday, a seventh worker’s body was pulled from the site. Two remain missing as of Saturday morning.
Investigators are working to determine what caused the failure of the chemical tank, which was holding 900,000 gallons of white liquor – an extremely hazardous chemical that is used in the paper-making process to break down wood chips into pulp for thick paper products, such as paper bags and plates.
Agencies from all over the state are on-site, either helping with the recovery mission or monitoring the environmental impacts. At this time, officials say that drinking water is safe for the public and there are no restrictions for recreational activities along the Columbia River.
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