Death toll in Washington tank rupture rises to eight as recovery progresses | Washington state
The confirmed death toll from a chemical tank explosion at a paper mill in Washington state rose to eight on Thursday after crews found the remains of six workers, officials said.
Three more people are missing and presumed dead. 8 people, including a firefighter who intervened in the incident, were injured.
A tank containing more than 500,000 gallons of a chemical mixture used to split wood to make paper collapsed Tuesday morning at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, a city along the Columbia River. The explosion released a flood of caustic liquid that could cause severe burns and lung injuries.
The tragedy is one of the deadliest workplace accidents in the United States in recent years.
Longview Fire Battalion Chief Matt Amos said the collapse occurred during a shift change and that the six workers whose remains were found were in an area where they would gather in the morning while awaiting their duties for the day.
The victims included a grandfather who was always ready to help anyone and a young husband who was described as selfless and caring, according to friends who organized fundraisers for the victims’ families.
Amos said the rescue of the victims was slow and deliberate, complicated by dangers posed by remaining chemicals and other industrial hazards. The crew was moving away from the area closest to the tank in case it collapsed further. They are working with engineers to determine whether it is safe to enter the damaged buildings around the tank.
The crew must disinfect the victims’ remains before delivering them to the coroner’s office for identification. Searchers also need to disinfect themselves.
Authorities stated that the cause of the disaster is still being investigated. They did not release the names of the people killed, but friends and relatives began verifying their names and posting online fundraisers to support their families.
Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather who worked as an electrician at the factory, was the first confirmed death, said his friend Todd Cornwell.
“He was one of the most genuinely nice people you’ve ever met. He’d give you his shirt if you needed it. He was always willing to help with whatever needed to be done,” Cornwell said.
CJ Doran, 26, was among those presumed dead, according to a GoFundMe post verified by the crowdfunding site.
The post said he was a husband who was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and the breadwinner of the family.”
Other victims included John Forsberg, a father of two young children; Jared Ammons, who has two children with another on the way; and Braydon Finkas, an electrician on site who, along with his longtime partner Kaitlyn Kincaid, drove exchange students and others in need to their home in Cathlamet, according to their friend Rex Czuba.
Finkas, he said, was always willing to help cut hay or buy beer for a new face in their small town.
“He was a really big part of the town,” Czuba said. “He really jumped in and became a part of the community very quickly.”
