&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Death toll rises to 11 after massive chemical tank implodes at US paper plant")
The death toll from a chemical leak at a paper manufacturing facility in Washington state has climbed to 11 after rescue teams recovered the bodies of all nine workers who had been reported missing, US authorities confirmed on Saturday. The incident occurred on Tuesday after a massive storage tank holding tens of thousands of gallons of a highly corrosive chemical imploded at the plant in Longview, Washington state, triggering an extensive search operation.
"We have recovered the ninth and final missing employee of this incident," Brad Hannig, fire chief of Longview Fire Department, told a news conference. Rescuers had earlier confirmed on Wednesday that two people had died, while nine others were unaccounted for.
The accident took place at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company during an early-morning shift change. Officials said a 3.4-million-litre tank holding a large volume of a chemical known as white liquor ruptured, leading to the deadly incident. White liquor is a highly alkaline solution containing sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, used to break down wood chips and create the pulp from which paper is made.
Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a subsidiary of the Nippon Paper Group of Japan, said on its website that it produces eight billion single-serve containers annually, supplying customers in North America, Asia and around the world.
Chemical emergency in Orange County
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The Washington incident occurred just days after a separate chemical emergency in Orange County, California, where tens of thousands of residents were evacuated after a tank containing volatile chemicals began to overheat.
Emergency crews worked to cool approximately 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a substance that was at risk of exploding and releasing a cloud of toxic fumes over a densely populated area located only a few miles from Disneyland. Authorities lifted all evacuation orders on Tuesday after determining that the immediate threat had been successfully contained.
