Eight Dead in Paper Mill Implosion in Washington

Eight people are confirmed dead after a chemical tank imploded Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in Longview, Washington. Three more people are missing, and are presumed dead and 10 more injured.

Local news KGW8 reports that the tank that imploded allegedly was storing 90,000 gallons of "white liquor," a highly caustic alkaline solution used to break down solid wood chips in the pulp and paper production process, although the tank was designed to hold up to 900,000 gallons.

The tank rupture happened during a shift change, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, so more people were on site than usual and they were moving between different spaces.

Longview’s roots are deeply tied to timber and paper manufacturing. Weyerhaeuser arrived in the city in 1925, just one year after Longview was officially incorporated, and built what was then the world’s largest lumber mill. In 1931, the timber giant expanded its presence with a nearby pulp mill, supplying the material used to make paper.