Authorities abandoned rescue operations and shifted to recovery Wednesday at a paper mill in Longview, Washington State, after a second injured worker died and nine employees remain unaccounted for—bringing the presumed death toll to 11.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson told a press conference on Wednesday: “We’re bracing ourselves for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history.”
Contamination from the rupture entered the Columbia River, the largest body of water in the Pacific Northwest, but further evaluations will determine the “scope and extent of that environmental impact,” Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein told reporters.
The search was delayed over concerns that the ruptured tank might collapse further and leak more of the highly destructive liquid. Officials said they would only work during daylight hours because of the dangers. Authorities said they had not yet determined where all nine missing workers were within the facility, or how long the recovery would take….