Article body
Crews have recovered six of nine workers missing and presumed to be dead after a chemical tank rupture in Washington state, officials said Thursday. The total death toll is 11, including three who are still missing. It's one of the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in recent decades.
Officials say the paper mill tank ruptured and spilled more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of a highly destructive chemical mixture used in paper manufacturing at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, a city along the Columbia River. Among the 11 victims were a grandfather who was always willing to help anyone and a young husband described as selfless and caring, according to friends who organized fundraisers for the victims' families.
Fire officials said Wednesday that the recovery of the missing would be slow and deliberate because of the dangers posed by the remaining chemicals. Authorities said the cause of the disaster is still under investigation. They have not released the names of those who were killed, but friends and relatives had begun confirming their names and posting online fundraisers to support their families.
Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather who was an electrician at the plant, was the first confirmed death, said his friend Todd Cornwell. CJ Doran, who was 26, was among those presumed dead, according to a GoFundMe post verified by the crowdfunding site. Other victims included John Forsberg, described as a father to two young children; Jared Ammons, who had two children and another on the way; and Braydon Finkas, an electrician at the plant who, along with his longtime partner, took in exchange students and others in need at their home.
The tank failure also injured eight people, including a firefighter. Some suffered burns or inhalation injuries, authorities said. The mill's Japanese parent company, Nippon Paper Group, said in a statement Wednesday that it was offering its "deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families."
Authorities said Wednesday that the spill hadn't contaminated the air and drinking water in and around Longview. Crews were working to flush water from ditches near the plant and dilute it before pumping it into the Columbia. Some contamination has reached the river, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has had no noticeable effect.