Longview Paper Mill Implosion Leaves 9 Missing After 900,000-Gallon Tank Collapse Kills 2
Updated
Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · May 27
Longview Paper Mill Implosion Leaves 9 Missing After 900,000-Gallon Tank Collapse Kills 2
15 articles · Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · May 27
Nine people were still missing and presumed dead Wednesday after rescuers resumed recovery work at Nippon Dynawave's Longview mill, where a second victim died after being taken to a hospital.
A 900,000-gallon white-liquor tank imploded just after 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, and unstable structure plus lingering chemicals initially blocked crews from entering safely.
Inspectors cut the estimated chemical remaining in the tank to about 25,000 gallons from 90,000, allowing responders to plan removals; recovered victims will be decontaminated before identification.
Eight injured people — including a firefighter — were taken to hospitals, with some sent to the Oregon Burn Center, while the U.S. Chemical Safety Board opened an investigation into the cause.
Gov. Bob Ferguson called it modern Washington state's deadliest industrial tragedy; officials said there is no direct community threat, no confirmed air or drinking-water impacts, but nearby roads and drainage areas remain off-limits.
With nine workers missing in a caustic spill, what are the real chances for a successful rescue operation?
What specific engineering failure caused a massive chemical tank to implode without any warning?
Given its history of safety violations, could stronger oversight have prevented this fatal plant disaster?