11 killed in chemical tank rupture at Longview paper mill

A chemical tank rupture at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, has killed 11 people, devastating a community where generations of families have worked in the local timber and paper industries. The incident occurred Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility, which is owned by the Tokyo-based Nippon Paper Group.

The collapsed tank contained more than 500,000 gallons of a caustic mixture used in the papermaking process. The force of the rupture expelled a flood of chemicals powerful enough to overturn pickup trucks and damage buildings on the industrial site. Authorities said the cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

The disaster has struck at the heart of Longview, a city of nearly 40,000 founded by a timber baron to support its mills. For over a century, residents' lives have been deeply intertwined with the lumber and paper plants that line the Columbia River. Many residents can see the facilities or smell the industry's distinct odor from their homes.

Amid immediate grief, there is also concern about the future of the plant, which employs about 1,000 people and provides crucial, good-paying jobs in a region where the timber industry has...