Washington State Chemical Plant Failure

Authorities have confirmed that one person died and 9 others remain unaccounted for after a chemical tank imploded at a pulp and paper mill in Washington state. They say there is no hope to rescue those missing. Nine others were injured in Tuesday morning's spill, some severely. Emergency responders plan to resume recovery efforts at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview on Wednesday morning. Authorities say those efforts are being hampered by the danger posed by 90,000 gallons of the dangerous liquid that remain in the unstable tank.

Crews are resuming the search for nine people presumed killed at a Washington state paper mill where a chemical tank ruptured. It's likely to be one of the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in years. Authorities on Wednesday said the presumed death toll rose to 11 after a second person died. Authorities says there's no hope of finding more survivors following Tuesday’s tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview. Some contamination made its way into the nearby Columbia River. Authorities say the tank failure hasn't impacted the region's air or drinking water, but testing is ongoing.

There are millions of chemical tanks around the U.S., and experts say it is exceedingly rare for them to fail. Yet this past week, there were two major hazardous chemical emergencies on the West Coast. A large tank containing a corrosive chemical at a Longview, Washington, paper mill ruptured on Tuesday, killing two and possibly nine others. And late last week about 50,000 people were evacuated in Southern California after a chemical tank overheated and threatened the area with a catastrophic explosion. The incidents have raised questions about who is responsible for regulating companies that handle dangerous materials. An Associated Press review has found that officials at the local, state and federal levels all play a part in keeping these facilities safe.