Fatalities have been confirmed at the scene of an implosion at a manufacturing plant in Longview, Washington, where emergency responders were continuing a recovery operation Tuesday afternoon.
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Some people were missing, officials said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Local law enforcement and fire department officials released a joint statement on the incident at Nippon Dynawave Packaging, saying a tank containing white liquor, a chemical used in the paper pulping process, had ruptured early Tuesday.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson expressed condolences for the reported casualties on social media and said state responders from Washington’s Department of Ecology had been deployed to the scene.
“I’m deeply saddened to hear that there have been fatalities. My thoughts are with the workers and their families, and with the first responders,” Ferguson stated.
Officials confirmed the deaths, although they did not say how many, and also said that, based on preliminary information, the rupture resulted in “multiple critical injuries,” but did not immediately release the numbers of those killed or injured. An update was planned for Tuesday evening.
Patients were transported to area hospitals in Longview and Vancouver for treatment, according to the statement.
“There are also individuals who remain unaccounted for as crews continue the accountability and recovery operations. One firefighter also was injured during the response and he has since been treated and released at our Longview hospital,” Mike Gorsuch, battalion chief for the City of Longview Fire Department, said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Officials said they were withholding identifying information of victims pending notification of families. They advised that there is no immediate threat to the surrounding community but urged people to stay away from the plant to allow emergency vehicles to continue the ongoing investigation and recovery operation.
A Washington representative for the Association of Washington Pulp and Paper Workers union said he was with workers’ families but declined comment while the recovery was ongoing and referred questions to the union’s spokesperson.
In a statement, the union said
White liquor is used in the paper making process and contains sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate, said Scott Goldstein, Cowlitz County fire chief.
Goldstein said the scene of the rupture was stable Tuesday afternoon.
