Workers killed in chemical vat implosion at Washington paper mill identified; 11 dead

LONGVIEW, Wash. (KPTV/Gray News) - Officials say they have found the remains and identified all of the missing workers following a chemical vat implosion at the Nippon Dynawave paper mill on Tuesday.

The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office released the names of those killed, bringing the death toll to 11:

• 52-year-old Gilbert Bernal of Kelso, Oregon.
• 29-year-old Tyler Covington of Castle Rock, Oregon.
• 27-year-old Brad Covington of Castle Rock, Oregon.
• 48-year-old Robert Wilson of Clatskanie, Oregon.
• 54-year-old Dale Miller of Portland, Oregon.
• 35-year-old Jared Ammons of Longview, Washington.
• 38-year-old Braydon Finkas of Cathlamet, Washington.
• 26-year-old Clinton Doran of Kelso, Oregon.
• 51-year-old John Forsberg of Longview, Washington.
• 58-year-old Norman Barlow of Vancouver, Washington.
• Dillon Miller, taken to a Portland hospital; coroner has no other information.

Officials say a 900,000-gallon tank containing a highly destructive chemical called white liquor imploded at the facility just after 7:15 a.m.

Roughly 600,000 gallons of the substance rushed through work areas at the plant on Tuesday when the tank ruptured.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson called it “the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history.”

Multiple people, including a firefighter, were injured and taken to area hospitals for treatment following the implosion. Some of those injured were also brought to the Oregon Burn Center.

Investigators were looking into what caused the tank to implode in the first place and whether there’s a risk of it happening again.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said it would begin an investigation into the implosion after the recovery efforts are concluded.

Officials said some of the chemical had made its way into the Columbia River and they have received reports of dead fish near the site’s spillways.

The Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were monitoring air and water quality and working to assess any other environmental impacts.