At least one person is dead and nine other employees are missing after a chemical tank ruptured at a Longview paper and pulp mill Tuesday morning.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — Lonnie Koistinen says he was taught from a young age that men should not show emotion, but at age 71, Lonnie Koistinen has been unable to control himself for the rest of his life.
Not after what happened Nippon Dynawave factory early Tuesday.
“When real tragedy happens, men sometimes cry,” he said after attending a vigil Tuesday night to honor the victims. “I shed a few tears during this vigil because it was so sad.”
Nine employees are still missing and officials say they are recovering.
at least one person died after a tank containing corrosive white liquor ruptured at a paper and pulp mill in Longview.
Nine people, including one firefighter and eight employees, were taken to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver for treatment, according to the Longview Fire Department. Restoration efforts will resume on Wednesday.
Officials said a 900,000-gallon tank storing white liquor, a chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate used in the papermaking process, ruptured. Fire officials believe 90,000 gallons of chemicals remain in the tank.
Koistinen worried he might know someone who didn’t make it.
“This is the most tragic thing that has ever happened in Longview in my life,” he said.
More than 100 people attended the vigil at RA Long Park, about two miles from the paper mill.
“I pass the factory every day on my way home and into town. It’s an important part of our community. If we didn’t have factory workers, this town could be facing continued decline. They are hard-working people,” said Grayland Davis.
He said his wife knew someone who was directly affected by the implosion. After the vigil ended, he encouraged attendees to hug each other as the scope of the tragedy would become clearer in the coming days.
“I’m concerned that people within our community feel like they don’t have access to people who don’t fit into their clique, so to speak… blue collar, white collar, left, right,” Davis said. “We’re all here.”
