The death toll from a chemical spill at a paper plant in the northwestern United States has risen to eight, while three others remain missing, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington, after a massive storage tank containing a highly caustic chemical substance ruptured during an early morning shift change.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Longview Fire Department Chief Brad Hannig said rescue teams had recovered six additional bodies.
“We can confirm that six of the nine individuals have been recovered,” Hannig said, adding that authorities were still working with the coroner’s office to notify the victims’ families.
Two deaths had earlier been confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to eight. The remaining three workers are still missing and are feared dead.
Officials said the 900,000-gallon (3.4 million-litre) tank contained “white liquor,” a highly alkaline solution made up of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, commonly used in paper production to break down wood chips into pulp.
Rescue operations are continuing under what authorities described as an “active and hazardous recovery environment.”
Despite concerns over possible environmental contamination, local officials assured residents that air and water quality around the facility remained safe.
“Longview’s water is safe,” Chris Collins, Public Works Director for the City of Longview, said during the briefing.
Brooks Stanfield, a federal on-site officer with the Environmental Protection Agency, also stated that monitoring teams had not detected hydrogen sulfide or any other dangerous air contaminants in the surrounding area.
Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Paper Group, says it produces about eight billion single-serve containers annually for customers across North America, Asia and other global markets.
AFP
