The incident occurred at the Nippon Dynaware Packaging pulp and packaging plant in Longview
A chemical tank ruptured on the premises of a pulp and packaging factory in the state of Washington, USA, resulting in several serious injuries and deaths, say authorities cited by .
The “hazardous materials incident” was reported Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynaware Packaging plant in Longview, fire officials said.
A tank containing white liquid for treating paper pulp ruptured at around 7:15 am (local time, 12:15 pm in Lisbon), according to a joint statement from local authorities and Nippon Dynawave Packaging.
Authorities initially referred to the incident as a chemical explosion and then as an implosion, before classifying it as a rupture.
Several people suffered injuries, including chemical burns or injuries from inhaling toxic gases, and were transported by ambulance to area hospitals, the Fire Department said. The extent of the injuries is still unclear. The number of patients in the incident is in the “double digits,” Rick Graves, a spokesman for the Portland, Oregon, Fire Department, told ABC News.
Information about those killed and injured in the incident is being kept confidential until family members are notified, authorities said.
Residents were advised to stay away while emergency teams worked at the site, the Fire Department said, stressing however that there was no immediate threat to the public.
The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. factory is a pulp and paper production facility that manufactures materials for tissue paper, printing paper, cups, plates, cardboard boxes and other products. The company employs about 1,000 people, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Incident in California last week led to the evacuation of 40,000 people
This incident comes just days after nearly 40,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Garden Grove, California, due to a worsening leak from a tank of toxic chemicals at an aerospace facility.
The situation began on Thursday afternoon when the Orange County Fire Department was called to GKN Aerospace on Western Avenue following a report of a tank leak. The chemical vapor leak involved a tank measuring more than 128 liters containing a flammable liquid called methyl methacrylate, used in the manufacture of plastic parts in the aerospace industry and which can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems. The leak worsened on Friday due to a problem with a valve in the tank, which firefighters said left them little option other than allowing the tank to leak or explode.
On Tuesday most people were allowed to return to their homes after an intervention that created a crack in the tank relieved pressure and allowed it to cool, eliminating the risk of a catastrophic explosion. Authorities remain vigilant.
