A chemical tank ruptured at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview on May 26, killing at least two people and injuring seven others while nine employees remain unaccounted for. Authorities say the search has shifted from rescue to a presumed recovery as crews s
For the third day, the scene at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington, has looked less like a rescue operation and more like a battlefield—stabilizing an unstable tank while families wait for answers.
Authorities said the nine employees still unaccounted for after a chemical explosion are not expected to be found alive. At least two people were killed. seven others were injured. and nine remained missing as of May 27. when officials briefed the public on a search that has moved from immediate saving to a presumed recovery.
The rupture happened the morning of May 26 at about 7:15 a.m. local time. when a tank containing hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals split open. spilling a caustic substance called “white liquor” across the plant. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson called it likely the deadliest industrial disaster in modern state history.
The search is now focused on getting crews safe enough to re-enter the facility’s areas of greatest risk. Officials said they cannot immediately access all parts of the site because the chemicals and the tank were deemed unstable. Crews worked on stabilizing the tank so they can safely search for the nine missing employees. Once they are located, officials said they will undergo decontamination and be identified by the county coroner.
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washington, said first responders and nurses “saw unspeakable horrors,” adding: “We need to pull together to get the answers that we need here.”
The spill also complicated the surrounding environment. Officials said some of the spilled material contaminated the Columbia River and nearby ditches and dikes. The Washington Department of Ecology said impacted water is being flushed through the Longview ditch system to move it away from the residential area and the city’s water supply and to dilute it. while officials said there was no airborne contamination.
“There is currently no concern that drinking water supplies have been impacted. However, the longer the contaminated water remains in the ditch system, the greater the potential for it to contaminate the underlying aquifer,” the Ecology Department said.
While the immediate crisis sits on the plant grounds, the questions for the community are centered on what caused the rupture and whether safety concerns were already in the picture.
What happened at Nippon Dynawave Packaging
The chemical explosion at Nippon Dynawave happened on May 26, when a tank ruptured and released “white liquor” across the plant. Authorities said the substance is caustic and is used in the production of paper products. Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein said about 550,000 gallons spilled out of the tank.
Because responders judged the chemicals and the tank unstable, they initially could not reach every area of the facility to search for additional victims. Officials said they planned to resume the search on May 27 after working to stabilize the tank with remaining chemical.
Who the victims are
Authorities have not released the identities of anyone killed, injured, or missing. One firefighter was among those injured; the firefighter was treated and released the day of the explosion.
Of the two deceased victims, one was taken to a hospital for injuries and later died. The other person confirmed killed is part of the death toll being reported by authorities.
Seven injured people are facility workers, officials said. The nine missing people are all employees of the mill.
Inspections and complaints at the facility
The incident has landed on top of an inspection record that includes multiple state and complaint-driven reviews. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries said it had two ongoing inspections open at Nippon Dynawave when the explosion occurred.
One inspection began in March after the department received an anonymous complaint about a valve on an aqua ammonia clarifier tank. which authorities said was not the same tank involved in the explosion. Another inspection opened earlier in May after a complaint about a sinkhole caused by a failed drain.
The facility was inspected three other times in the last five years, and those inspections resulted in citations for violations unrelated to the chemicals and storage. The Labor and Industries Department said those violations involved issues such as fall protection or failure to wear face coverings.
The department also investigated the facility after an employee’s finger was amputated, local station KING 5 reported. Nippon Dynawave was cited for moving equipment involved before it could be inspected, but not for the incident itself, the news outlet reported.
The broader history around the plant includes major fires. Last August, a fire destroyed a railway warehouse on Nippon Dynawave’s property, according to the Longview Fire Department. The Patriot Rail’s Cowlitz and Columbia Railway warehouse and locomotive repair shop building. where the fire originated. was a total loss.
In July 2023, firefighters battled a blaze on the property for four days after a conveyor belt fire spread to bark chip piles and structures, according to Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue.
At the center of the recovery effort now is a simple, brutal timeline: May 26’s rupture, May 27’s stabilization work, and the families who have been left waiting for the nine missing employees.
A rescue search that couldn’t go everywhere is shifting to a recovery search designed around one reality—safety access depends on an unstable tank and dangerous chemical conditions. Once located. the missing employees will be decontaminated and identified by the county coroner. even as the community presses for answers about what went wrong at the paper mill and liquid packaging plant.
Nippon Dynawave Longview Washington chemical tank explosion white liquor Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue Bob Ferguson Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Washington Department of Ecology drinking water contamination Labor and Industries inspections missing employees