At least eight people are confirmed dead, and authorities believe there are three more bodies they have yet to reach at the site of the paper mill explosion in Longview, Washington.
Two people had previously been pronounced dead, bringing the total number of deaths to 11. The bodies of six of the nine missing workers were recovered from the site of the chemical tank implosion.
Related: West Coast Chemical Emergencies Raise Questions About Safety
A tank holding 600,000 gallons of a chemical used to make packaging for milk and juice cartons exploded Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant.
Roughly 550 people work at the factory, which is not fully shut down. A company executive told the NYT that critical operations were continuing.
Several more people were injured in the blast, but the exact number and the severity of their injuries were not known.
Related: Fatalities Reported in Washington State Packaging Facility Explosion
Responders couldn’t say when they expected to recover the final three bodies. Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Amos told CBS News that scene was “very complex,” with exposed electrical wiring and collapsed structures making recovery difficult.
Topics Washington
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