The death toll from a major chemical accident at a paper manufacturing plant in the United States has risen to 11, after officials confirmed that all nine workers previously reported missing were found dead following a lengthy search operation.
The tragedy occurred at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Washington, where a large industrial storage tank failed on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, prompting an immediate emergency response and large-scale rescue effort.
Authorities said a massive tank containing a highly corrosive chemical suddenly collapsed, releasing hazardous material and forcing emergency teams to rush to the scene within minutes.
Fire officials confirmed the end of the search after days of operations.
“We have recovered the ninth and final missing employee of this incident,” said Brad Hannig, chief of the Longview Fire Department.
Earlier updates from responders indicated that two workers were confirmed dead shortly after the incident, while nine others remained missing as search teams worked through dangerous conditions inside the affected facility.
Emergency response units from the Spill Response Team remained on site for days, as shown in images of crews positioned outside the damaged plant during ongoing recovery efforts.
The disaster took place during a shift change in the early morning hours, a period when staff were arriving and others were preparing to leave, increasing the number of workers exposed when the failure occurred.
Investigators said a storage tank with a capacity of about 900,000 gallons (around 3.4 million litres) holding a substance known as white liquor ruptured unexpectedly.
White liquor is a strongly alkaline industrial solution made from sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. It is commonly used in paper production to break down wood chips into pulp.
Although essential in manufacturing, the substance is highly dangerous when released due to its corrosive and toxic nature.
The facility is operated by dynawave.com, a subsidiary of Japan’s nipponpapergroup.com, a global company involved in large-scale paper and packaging production.
The company reported producing billions of single-use containers annually for markets across North America, Asia, and other regions.
Attention has now shifted to how the accident occurred, with investigators expected to examine the tank’s structural condition, maintenance history, and operational safety standards.
No official cause has yet been established, and authorities say inquiries are still ongoing as they work to determine what led to the sudden failure.
The incident is now regarded as one of the most severe industrial disasters in the region in recent years, raising concerns over chemical storage safety and industrial risk management practices.
