{"id":1007,"date":"2026-05-27T21:05:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T21:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1007"},"modified":"2026-05-27T21:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T21:05:03","slug":"live-9-missing-after-paper-mill-tank-rupture-and-officials-say-theres-no-hope-of-survivors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1007","title":{"rendered":"LIVE: 9 missing after paper mill tank rupture and officials say there\u2019s no hope of survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) \u2014 A second person who was injured when a large\u00a0chemical tank ruptured\u00a0at a Washington state paper mill has died, authorities said Wednesday, bringing the presumed death toll to 11, including nine people who were still missing.<\/p>\n

Read more Woman injured after being thrown from truck during collision in Glendale<\/a><\/p>\n

Authorities said there was no hope of finding more survivors, but crews were set to resume searching Wednesday for those who went missing following Tuesday\u2019s tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, which also injured eight people, including a firefighter.<\/p>\n

The search was delayed over concerns that the ruptured tank might collapse further and spill more of the highly destructive liquid inside, a mixture called white liquor that is used in paper manufacturing. The rupture caused the huge circular tank to buckle on one side, and officials said they would only work during daylight because of the dangers.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the rupture hasn\u2019t affected the safety of the air and drinking water in Longview, a Columbia River city of about 40,000 people with long ties to the Washington and Oregon paper and lumber industries. But they warned residents to keep away from ditches and dikes.<\/p>\n

It was the second notable issue with a chemical in days on the West Coast, following the\u00a0evacuation of thousands of Southern California residents\u00a0due to an overheated tank an aerospace plant before those orders were lifted Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

The paper mill tank was holding about 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of a liquid made of mostly sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. Known as white liquor, it is used with heat to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable material used in packaging, shopping bags and other products.<\/p>\n

The sprawling plant, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, and cartons. It sits along the river next to other timber, paper and chemical businesses.<\/p>\n

Paper mill worker was always there to help, friend says<\/h3>\n

Authorities haven\u2019t released the names of the two people whose deaths were confirmed or of those missing, but some names have begun to trickle out.<\/p>\n

Todd Cornwell said his friend, Gilbert Bernal, was an electrician at the plant and was the first confirmed death. They knew each other through church and were in the same Bible study group, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually had our group last night and instead of doing Bible study, we talked about him,\u201d Cornwell said. \u201cHe was always there willing to help in whatever needed to be done. When the local church school started flooding, he was one of the people there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian Williquette, a chemical supplier for the region\u2019s mills, was at the plant Tuesday morning when he heard an alarm over the intercom and first wondered if it was drill. He was able to get out safely and didn\u2019t see any of the damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just unfathomable,\u201d he said at a community vigil Tuesday. \u201cThere\u2019s not anybody that lives here that doesn\u2019t know somebody at a paper mill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crystal Moldenhauer, a Longview resident, said she has friends at the plant who remained unaccounted for. She said people called and texted each other all day trying to figure out what happened.<\/p>\n

Read more Man accused of running retail trafficking enterprises across Arizona sentenced<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all still waiting for answers,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s families that have been torn apart, and we don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cause of the rupture remained unclear.<\/p>\n

Authorities press for answers about the rupture<\/h3>\n

Nippon Paper Group in a statement said Wednesday that it was offering its \u201cdeepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott Goldstein, a fire chief with Cowlitz County, said Tuesday night that the tank still held about 90,000 gallons (more than 340,000 liters) of the volatile liquid.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know until we know, hopefully tomorrow, how we can stabilize the tank. Do we remove the product first? Do we stabilize the tank first or the vice versa?\u201d Goldstein said.<\/p>\n

Hours after the disaster, officials repeatedly referred to the situation as a recovery effort.<\/p>\n

Some of those who were injured suffered burns or inhalation injuries, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Following the tank\u2019s rupture, the liquid spilled into a drainage ditch, said Brittny Goodsell, a state Ecology Department spokesperson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of questions about how all of this happened and I want to assure you that we will all continue to pressure to get answers to those questions,\u201d Murray said.<\/p>\n

The mill faced complaints and fines<\/h3>\n

Safety complaints were filed against Nippon Dynawave in March and May. The state\u2019s labor and industries department said on X that both were unrelated to the current situation. One was an anonymous complaint about a valve on a tank, according to the department, which noted that it was not the tank that imploded.<\/p>\n

Nippon Dynawave, a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Paper Group, has been fined $3,400 for three separate health and safety violations found by Washington Department of Labor and Industries inspectors since the start of 2021, according to the department\u2019s online database.<\/p>\n

Just over 40 people died between January 2021 and mid-October 2023 as a result of hazardous chemical incidents in the U.S.,\u00a0\u00a0released by a network of environmental justice organizations in late 2023.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press reporters Gene Johnson and Hallie Golden in Seattle, Kathy McCormack in Concord New Hampshire, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.<\/p>\n

Read more Red arrow confusion leads to deadly motorcycle crash in north Phoenix<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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