HomeAmericaEleven confirmed dead in Washington state chemical accident, all bodies recovered

Eleven confirmed dead in Washington state chemical accident, all bodies recovered

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May 30 (Reuters) - The ‌death toll from a chemical ​tank rupture in the U.S. state of Washington climbed ⁠to 11 as crews recovered the bodies of all nine missing people, authorities said on Saturday.

Two ​fatalities had been confirmed after the tank containing "white ‌liquor" - a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in making paper pulp - imploded at ⁠a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on ⁠Tuesday.

The search for the missing carried on through the week as recovery crews worked through debris in indoor areas and flew drones over ‌the perimeter of the site, said Cowlitz ⁠2 Fire & Rescue's deputy chief, ‌Kurt Stitch.

The ruptured tank contained ​about 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of white liquor, and tests confirmed that contamination entered the ‌nearby Columbia River, officials have said, ​although no "negative health ⁠impacts" had been detected on air quality ‌or the city ⁠of Longview's drinking water.

Nippon Paper Industries, Japan’s second-biggest paper manufacturer by sales, acquired the Longview plant ​from Seattle-based timber ‌company Weyerhaeuser for $225 million and established the wholly ⁠owned subsidiary Nippon Dynawave ​Packaging in 2016.

(Reporting by Anusha Shah in ​Bengaluru;Editing by William Mallard)

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