2nd person dies, 9 remain missing after chemical tank ruptures at paper mill in Washington state: Officials
Recovery efforts are set to begin Wednesday.
A second employee has died after a chemical tank ruptured at a paper mill in Washington state, officials said Wednesday.
Nine people remain missing, as recovery efforts are set to begin a day after the incident, officials said.
Fire authorities said the "hazardous materials incident" was reported Tuesday morning at Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a pulp and paper mill in Longview, a city of 38,000 people about 50 miles northwest of Portland.
Authorities said recovery efforts were delayed due to safety concerns over the unstable tank, which contains white liquor, a chemical mixture used in the paper-making process.
The remaining product in the damaged 900,000-gallon tank is a "significantly smaller volume" than initially believed, "allowing emergency responders to develop a plan to move forward to remove it," local authorities and Nippon Dynawave Packaging said in a joint statement Wednesday.
The tank ruptured at approximately 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, resulting in the release of white liquor, officials said. Authorities initially referred to the incident as a chemical explosion and then an implosion, before referring to it as a rupture.
One of the injured employees transported to the hospital following the incident has since died, officials said Wednesday, bringing the confirmed number of fatalities to two.
The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office will release the names of the deceased "when all individuals have been recovered and family notifications are complete," officials said Wednesday.
Family identified one of the deceased employees as Gilbert Bernal, a beloved husband, dad and grandfather.
"My father was the most selfless man I knew," Bernal's daughter, Geovana Bernal, said in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday. "He worked hard to provide for his family and he loved us so much."
Geovana Bernal said her brother viewed images of her father and confirmed his death after speaking with the coroner's office.
Seven other employees suffered injuries in the incident, including chemical burns, and were transported by ambulance to area hospitals, authorities said. The injuries ranged from critical to minor.
One firefighter was also injured in the incident and has since been treated and released from a nearby hospital, according to authorities.
White liquor is a chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate used in the paper-making process, according to Cowlitz2 Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein.
The cause of the rupture is unknown at this time, Goldstein said.
There is no direct threat to the public, authorities said. Environmental monitoring and mitigation efforts are ongoing, with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helping monitor air and water quality, officials said Wednesday.
"At this time there are no negative health impacts to air quality or the City of Longview's drinking water system," officials said Wednesday. "The public is asked to keep away from ditches and dikes in the city while water testing is underway."
The Nippon facility is located on the Washington-Oregon border near the Columbia River. The kraft pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant employs around 1,000 people, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live