Authorities say 2nd person has died after chemical tank implosion at U.S. paper mill

Crews were go under to take up trenchant wed for niner workers at a Washington paper mill where a tank imploded, releasing a highly destructive chemical mixture called "white liquor" and causing at least two confirmed deaths.

Authorities said there was no hope of finding more survivors of Tuesday's tank implosion at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. In Longview, Wash., which also injured eight other people, including a responding firefighter.

But before any bodies can be recovered, crews on Wednesday must first stabilize the tank, which was at risk of collapsing further and leaking more of the caustic liquid.

The implosion caused the huge circular tank to buckle and collapse on one side, and officials said they would only work during daylight because of the dangers. While the cause remains unknown, authorities said there was no threat to the community, a Columbia River city of about 40,000 people with long ties to the Washington and Oregon paper and lumber industries.

The paper mill tank was holding about 3.4 million litres of a liquid made of mostly sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. Known as white liquor, it is used with heat to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable material used in packaging, shopping bags and other products.

The sprawling plant, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates and cartons. It sits along the river next to other timber, paper and chemical businesses.

Authorities haven't released the names of the two people whose deaths were confirmed or of those missing, but some names have begun to trickle out.

Todd Cornwell said his friend, Gilbert Bernal, was an electrician at the plant and was the first confirmed death. They knew each other through church and were in the same Bible study group, he said.

"We actually had our group last night and instead of doing Bible study, we talked about him," Cornwell said.

"He was always there willing to help in whatever needed to be done. When the local church school started flooding, he was one of the people there."

Brian Williquette, a chemical supplier for the region's mills, was at the plant Tuesday morning when he heard an alarm over the intercom and first wondered if it was drill. He was able to get out safely and didn't see any of the damage.

"It's just unfathomable," he said at a community vigil Tuesday. "There's not anybody that lives here that doesn't know somebody at a paper mill."

Crystal Moldenhauer, a Longview resident, said she has friends at the plant who remained unaccounted for. She said people called and texted each other all day trying to figure out what happened.

"We're all still waiting for answers," she said. "There's families that have been torn apart, and we don't know why."

The cause of the implosion remained unclear.

Nippon Paper Group in a statement said Wednesday that it was offering its "deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families."

Scott Goldstein, a fire chief with Cowlitz County, said Tuesday night that the tank still held more than 340,000 litres of the volatile liquid.

"We don't know until we know, hopefully tomorrow, how we can stabilize the tank. Do we remove the product first? Do we stabilize the tank first or the vice versa?" Goldstein said.

Hours after the disaster, officials repeatedly referred to the situation as a recovery effort.

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