A DEVASTATING chemical plant explosion has left 11 people dead after the final missing bodies were recovered days after a massive tank imploded.

Emergency crews confirmed on Saturday that all nine workers previously unaccounted for had been found following the horror blast at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, Washington.

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A chemical plant explosion has left eleven people deadCredit: AP
 

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Emergency crews confirmed on Saturday that all nine workers previously unaccounted for had been foundCredit: AP
The tragedy unfolded at 7:15am on Tuesday during a shift change, when a huge tank containing a toxic chemical mixture known as “white liquor” suddenly imploded and ruptured.

Two victims were initially rushed to hospital but later died – as the death toll climbed to 11 in what rescuers described as a painstaking and harrowing recovery effort.

“Today, on day five of this incident, I can share that we have recovered the ninth and final missing employee of this incident,” Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig said in a Saturday news conference.

The dead have been named as Gilberto Bernal, 52, Tyler Covington, 29, Brad Covington, 27, Robert Wilson, 48, Dale Miller, 54, Jared Ammons, 35, Braydon Finkas, 38, Clinton Duran, 26, John Forsberg, 51, Norman Barlow, 58, and Dillon Miller.

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The tragedy unfolded at 7:15am on Tuesday during a shift changeCredit: AP
 

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A huge tank containing a toxic chemical mixture known as ‘white liquor’ suddenly imploded and rupturedCredit: Reuters
Rescue teams spent days combing through wreckage inside the plant, moving heavy debris and deploying drones over the site in a desperate search for the missing.

Kurt Stitch, deputy chief with Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue, said the process was “methodical and incredibly difficult for everyone that’s been involved.”

The ruptured tank was designed to hold a staggering 900,000 gallons of “white liquor” – a dangerous chemical brew used in paper production containing sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate.

Authorities confirmed the tank was heavily filled at the time of the blast, unleashing a wave of hazardous material across the site.

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Tests later revealed contamination had entered the nearby Columbia River – though officials insisted no “negative health impacts” had been detected in the air or Longview’s drinking water.

Crews have been working around the clock to dilute high-pH chemical runoff in nearby ditches, which sit above a critical aquifer supplying the city’s water.

Officials stressed the contaminated water had been successfully diverted away from the wellhead area.

Earlier in the week, the scale of the disaster was still unfolding.

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Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein spoke to local media on Tuesday morningCredit: AP
 

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Vehicles are parked after a chemical tank rupture at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging pulp and paper millCredit: Reuters
One person had initially been confirmed dead, with several others critically injured and at least nine missing as panic gripped the site just 45 miles north of Portland, Oregon.

Nine workers were rushed to hospital suffering chemical burns, while families gathered outside the plant in agony waiting for news of loved ones.

Authorities warned the number of deaths was “undetermined” at the time, as the incident was declared a “mass casualty scene”.

“We’re dealing with life safety concerns and incident stabilisation at this point,” said Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue chief Scott Goldstein.

At least 40 firefighters and paramedics, along with a specialist hazmat team, raced to the scene to contain the disaster.

In a joint statement, officials said the implosion posed “no immediate threat to the surrounding community” – despite confirming “fatalities related to the incident” and “multiple critical injuries”.

US Senator Patty Murray described the incident as an “absolute tragedy”.

“My heart is with everyone who lost a loved one today as well as the injured workers,” she said.

The Nippon Dynawave facility – a major pulp and paper mill employing around 1,000 people – produces materials used in tissues, printing paper, cartons, cups and plates.

The cause of the catastrophic implosion remains under investigation.

The shocking disaster comes amid wider fears over chemical safety in the US.

In a separate incident, tens of thousands of residents in Southern California were evacuated after a chemical tank at an aerospace facility began leaking dangerous vapours.

Around 50,000 people in Garden Grove were forced from their homes after a tank containing up to 7,000 gallons of highly flammable methyl methacrylate overheated and began venting.

Emergency crews have spent days battling to cool the tank after a relief valve opened, raising fears of another potential catastrophe.

SOURCE: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16433848/chemical-tank-explosion-dead-bodies-recovered/