LONGVIEW, Wash. — One person is confirmed dead, nine people are missing, and nine more are injured after a vat containing hundreds of thousands of gallons of dangerous chemicals failed at the Nippon Dynawave packaging plant in Longview on Tuesday morning. According to fire officials, a tank containing a highly acidic chemical called white liquor ruptured.
At least ten people were taken to nearby hospitals, including eight employees and one firefighter, LFD said. Nine employees remained unaccounted for as of Tuesday night, according to Longview Fire. Officials state that crews are on a recovery mission for those nine employees, rather than a rescue.
Reactions poured in from Washington state lawmakers and officials on Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday: