LONGVIEW, Wash. — A chemical tank failure at a paper mill in Longview has become one of the deadliest workplace accidents in the United States in recent decades, claiming the lives of 11 workers, officials said Saturday.
After days of updates from state regulators, fire officials, the Environmental Protection Agency, and local authorities, on Saturday, the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office identified all of the victims and confirmed the recovery of the final body, bringing the death toll to 11.
“Today, on day five of this incident, I can confirm that we have recovered the night and final missing employee of this incident,” said Chief Brad Hannig of the Longview Fire Department. “I hope today will give the families so affected by this incident the closure needed to begin the long process of healing.”
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The disaster began Tuesday morning when a tank containing more than 500,000 gallons of a highly destructive chemical mixture used in paper manufacturing collapsed at the Nippon Dynawave facility.
Among those killed were brothers Tyler Covington, 29, and Brad Covington, 27, who worked at the facility together.
The other victims were identified as Gilbert Bernal, 52; John Forsberg, 51; Clinton Doran, 26; Jared Ammons, 35; Braydon Finkas, 38; Robert Wilson, 48; Dale Miller, 54; Norman Barlow, 58 and Dillon Miller.
Officials have not yet released details about what caused the tank to fail. State and federal agencies continue to investigate the collapse.
The accident is among the deadliest workplace disasters in the nation in recent decades and has drawn attention from regulators and industry officials as investigators work to determine what led to the catastrophic failure.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
