Chemical leak death toll rises to 11 at Washington state plant

WASHINGTON, United States — The death toll from a chemical leak at a factory in Washington state has risen to 11, authorities said. They said search and rescue teams have reached the bodies of all missing people and identified nine missing persons. According to Reuters, the incident followed an internal explosion on Tuesday in a tank at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility. The tank contained a chemical solution used in pulp production that included sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. Authorities said the tank held about 3.4 million liters of chemicals and that the accident caused pollution to leak into the nearby Columbia River. They added that no negative effect had been detected on air quality or drinking water in Longview.