11 dead in chemical leak incident at Washington plant

WASHINGTON, May 31 (YPA) – About 11 people were killed on Sunday as result of a chemical leak caused by the collapse of an industrial tank at a paper manufacturing facility in Washington

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of nine workers who had been reported missing, U.S. authorities announced on Sunday.

According to reports, two deaths had been confirmed immediately after the incident, which occurred last Tuesday at a paper production plant in the city of Longview.

Rescue operations continued for several days as emergency crews searched through debris inside the facility, with drones also deployed to assist in locating the missing workers.

Officials said the collapsed tank contained approximately 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of “white liquor,” a chemical solution primarily composed of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide that is widely used in paper manufacturing.

AA