Five months after a catastrophic chemical tank failure killed 11 workers at a paper mill in Longview, families and community members are still asking how the disaster was allowed to happen.
The May 26 failure occurred at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company when a chemical tank collapsed and its contents struck a nearby break room.
Eleven people died.
OPB reports that a federal investigation later found inspection contractors had warned the company three times that the tank was unsafe before the disaster.
The mill has long been an important source of well-paying industrial jobs in Longview and Southwest Washington.
For many residents, the disaster has created a difficult conflict between the industry’s economic importance and questions about worker safety, oversight and accountability.
The investigation and recovery from the disaster continue.
