LONGVIEW, WA – Search and rescue teams have recovered the bodies of six individuals following a massive chemical tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant, bringing the total death toll to 11.
Recovery Operations at the Impact Site
The disaster occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. Tuesday during a morning shift change. Longview Fire Battalion Chief Matt Amos confirmed that the six recently recovered victims were found in a common worker assembly area where employees typically gathered to receive daily assignments.
Efforts are still underway to locate and recover the remains of three additional missing workers. Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig stated that all recovered remains are undergoing decontamination before being transferred to the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office for formal identification.
Chemical Spill and Environmental Response
The implosion involved a 900,000-gallon capacity tank that was roughly 60% full of “white liquor”—a hazardous mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, and disodium carbonate used in paper-pulping.
The resulting spill, combined with water used by firefighting crews, flooded into a nearby drainage ditch. Because this ditch sits directly above the aquifer that supplies Longview’s drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local officials launched an immediate diversion plan.
Is Longview’s Drinking Water Safe?
City officials have assured residents that the municipal water supply remains entirely safe.
- Diversion: Contaminated water has been successfully diverted away from the wellhead area.
- Protection: The city’s water treatment plant features automatic shut-off protocols to prevent contamination.
- Dilution Strategy: Fresh water is being pumped from the Cowlitz River to flush the high-pH water westward into the Columbia River, where pH levels are being strictly monitored.
The EPA confirms that the Columbia River remains safe for recreational use and fishing. However, residents are strictly warned to stay away from local ditches and the city’s dike system, where pH levels remain elevated.
Historical Significance
Governor Bob Ferguson noted that this catastrophic failure is likely to be recorded as the deadliest industrial accident in modern Washington state history. The cause of the tank implosion remains under investigation by federal and state regulatory agencies.
