RismadarVoice Reporters, May 31, 2026
Authorities in Washington state have confirmed that all missing employees following a deadly industrial explosion at a paper mill in Longview have been recovered, five days after a chemical tank imploded at the facility.
Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig announced on Saturday that recovery teams had located the ninth and final missing worker linked to Tuesday’s incident at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant.
“Today, on day five of this incident, I can share that we have recovered the ninth and final missing employee of this incident,” Hannig said during a news briefing.
The recovery operation followed a chemical tank rupture and implosion that occurred during a shift change at about 7:15 a.m. Officials said two workers initially transported to hospitals later died, raising the confirmed death toll to 11.
Authorities identified the victims as Gilberto Bernal, Tyler Covington, Brad Covington, Robert Wilson, Dale Miller, Jared Ammons, Braydon Finkas, Clinton Duran, John Forsberg, Norman Barlow, and Dillon Miller.
The collapsed tank was designed to store approximately 900,000 gallons of “white liquor,” a hazardous chemical mixture used in paper-pulp production and containing sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, and disodium carbonate.
Emergency crews described the recovery effort as complex and physically demanding, involving the movement of heavy debris and aerial drone inspections to ensure no additional victims remained unaccounted for.
Officials also continued environmental mitigation measures by treating and diluting contaminated high-pH water that entered nearby ditches following the rupture. Authorities said conditions in the affected drainage system had improved and stressed that Longview’s drinking water supply remained safe.
The cause of the explosion and tank failure remains under investigation as state and local officials continue reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
