The day after a chemical tank imploded and ruptured in Washington state, authorities announced Wednesday that the search for nine missing people has shifted from a rescue to a recovery effort, likely bringing the total death toll to 11.
Officials had previously confirmed two fatalities. At least eight other people were injured, some critically.
At a Wednesday news conference, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson reflected on the scale of the incident, stating, “We’re bracing ourselves for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern history, Washington state history,” as local authorities stood by.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the implosion of a 900,000-gallon vat at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility early Tuesday.
The container held “white liquor” – a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in making paper pulp that can cause severe burns on skin.
Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Amos said at the news conference that the recovery effort would proceed slowly in the “extremely hazardous” environment.
It was unclear exactly where the nine missing people were in the facility, Cowlitz 2 Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said, adding that they had searched the accessible area.
“As of this morning, we declared this incident a transition from rescue to recovery,” he said.
Authorities at the press conference on Wednesday said that testing has since confirmed contamination entered the Columbia River after the incident.
Goldstein said, “Testing of water samples has confirmed contamination entered the Columbia River during the day yesterday. Additional evaluations are underway. We need to better understand the scope and extent of that environmental impact.”
“At this time, there continue to be no identified negative health impacts to the surrounding air quality or the city of Longview’s drinking water system,” Goldstein said.
It was fair to say roughly 550,000 to 570,000 gallons left the tank. Some material remains in the tank and is continuing to slowly leak. Officials advised people to avoid certain areas. About a dozen carp had died.
Nippon Paper Industries is Japan’s second-biggest paper manufacturer by sales.
It acquired the Longview plant from Seattle-based timber company Weyerhaeuser WY.N for $225 million. Nippon Paper then established the wholly owned subsidiary Nippon Dynawave Packaging in 2016.
Meanwhile, in southern California, authorities had been monitoring an overheating industrial tank containing highly flammable methyl methacrylate.
Late Tuesday, officials said the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove no longer posed an explosion risk. Thousands of area residents were ordered to evacuate their homes on Thursday after the chemical in the tank was found to be overheating.
“After an extensive operation, we’re happy to report that all evacuation orders have been lifted and residents have started to return home,” TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said on Tuesday.