Cowlitz Coroner Names 11 Workers Killed in 600,000-Gallon Longview Chemical Spill
Updated
Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · May 31
Cowlitz Coroner Names 11 Workers Killed in 600,000-Gallon Longview Chemical Spill
11 articles · Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · May 31
Saturday evening, the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office released the names of all 11 workers killed after officials recovered and identified the nine workers who had been missing at the Longview paper mill.
The deaths followed Tuesday’s rupture of a white liquor tank at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co., which sent roughly 600,000 gallons of the highly corrosive chemical through work areas.
Recovery crews in hazmat gear had to move hundreds of feet deeper into what officials called an active, hazardous site, while the Washington National Guard decontaminated remains before identification.
Investigators are still examining what caused the tank implosion and whether similar risks remain, with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board set to investigate after recovery work.
The spill also reached the Columbia River, where dead fish were reported, though the EPA said it remains safe to swim and fish and officials reported no harm to Longview’s drinking water.
What caused the massive chemical tank to implode, and are other US industrial facilities at risk of a similar disaster?
Could regulators have prevented Washington's deadliest industrial accident given the mill's history of safety violations?