1 dead, 9 missing after chemical tank ruptures in Washington state

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 1 dead, 9 missing after chemical tank ruptures in Washington state At least one person is dead and nine are still unaccounted for after a chemical vat implosion at a Longview, Washington, paper mill early Tuesday. National 1 dead, 9 missing after chemical tank ruptures in Washington state May 27, 20264:39 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Troy Brynelson , Steve Inskeep 1 dead, 9 missing after chemical tank ruptures in Washington state Listen &middot; 3:41 3:41 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5835744/nx-s1-9786570" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript At least one person is dead and nine are still unaccounted for after a chemical vat implosion at a Longview, Washington, paper mill early Tuesday. Sponsor Message STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: A chemical tank ruptured at a paper mill on Tuesday. One person is dead. Nine are missing, and officials do not think they will be found. This happened in Washington State. And by the way, it's entirely separate from that other chemical tank situation in California that people have been following. Oregon Public Broadcasting's Troy Brynelson is covering the story in Washington State. Troy, welcome.

+ TROY BRYNELSON, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve. INSKEEP: What happened at this paper mill? BRYNELSON: Yeah. So shortly before 8 a.m., officials say a large vat at a pulp and paper products mill in Longview, Washington, imploded and poured in the facility. Officials have not identified a cause for the implosion, at least in part because it's still an active situation. We know that this vat is carrying about 900,000 gallons of a chemical called white liquor, which is very caustic. Officials said that while it's more of an irritant when inhaled, it can and will burn a person's skin when it comes in contact with it. INSKEEP: Nine hundred thousand gallons. So what's known about the people who were in the path of that? BRYNELSON: So officials have only confirmed one fatality so far, but what hasn't been confirmed are the fates of about nine other workers there. Emergency responders right now are describing them as unaccounted for. They're stopping short of confirming, really, that there are any more fatalities. INSKEEP: OK. BRYNELSON: But Washington Governor Bob Ferguson arrived in Longview Tuesday to express condolences. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) BOB FERGUSON: Our thoughts and our prayers are with everybody impacted by this tragedy. So on behalf of the people of the state of Washington, I want all those individuals to know that we stand with you. We'll be here to do everything we can to help with the situation, and we'll be here as long as it takes. BRYNELSON: Separately, eight workers were transported to area hospitals and are being treated. One responding firefighter was also hospitalized briefly but has since been released. INSKEEP: I understand that they had to stop the search for the people still missing. Why? BRYNELSON: That's right. Officials are calling it a very complex recovery situation. They're saying right now that there are actually still some chemicals in that tank and it's really physically unstable, so it currently poses too great of a risk for rescue workers. They say that the primary goal going forward is going to stabilize this massive tank, then remove the caustic liquid inside and then recovery if possible. INSKEEP: So what are you hearing from people around Longview, Washington? BRYNELSON: Yeah. So I went to a vigil that occurred just, like, 12 hours after the incident. And I can say that for some people, these questions were really hanging overhead. Here's Crystal Moldenhauer, a former school board member whose friend is among those missing. She said that she knew of a lot of people who were waiting today for answers, and they still don't have definitive ones. CRYSTAL MOLDENHAUER: How do you sleep at night, knowing you don't know where your loved one is? BRYNELSON: Now, I'll say equally, people I spoke to really spoke about resilience and the need to come together. You know, this is a proud industrial town, and people here have been broadly supportive of the company - Nippon Dynawave - when I talk with them. The company has had a few safety violations sustained in recent years, but those amounted to fewer than $4,000 in fines over three separate incidents. We haven't heard much from the company. They were jointly credited with statements alongside the city and the fire department throughout the day. But their local office didn't respond to reporters' requests for comment, and the parent company didn't immediately respond to questions. INSKEEP: That's Oregon Public Broadcasting's Troy Brynelson. Troy, thanks so much. BRYNELSON: Thank you for having me. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. 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