Remains of 7 of 9 missing Nippon workers recovered after Longview chemical spill
The remains of six of the missing nine employees from Tuesday's Nippon chemical spill have been located, leaders said at a Thursday press conference outside the Industrial Way mill. The next day, another worker's remains were recovered.
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On Thursday, Longview Fire Battalion Chief Matt Amos said the remaining three are located just outside the crews' search scope on Thursday.
The recovered victims were located in an area where people congregate in the morning to receive work assignments for the day, he added. He said the spill occurred during a shift change.
Victims are being decontaminated before being sent to the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office, said Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig. The coroner's office then contacts families.
Amos said crews don't see the tank as a cause of additional spills.
However, there is an exclusion zone around the tank as crews work to recover victims.
The scene remains hazardous. Amos said they video onsite buildings and ask engineers if they are safe to enter. Electrical hazards are also an issue.
First responders have to decontaminate each time they leave the site, he added.
They are only working during the day to ensure safety, so their hours are roughly 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Groups rotate. They ensure there are enough personnel available to rescue the first responders who enter the site if something goes wrong, "so we need double the numbers," Amos said about staffing levels.
It's very labor-intensive to enter the site and make the recoveries, he added, and requires a lot of personnel.
"We can only make entries into these areas so many times in a day, and it's very few," Amos said.
Nippon rep speaks
Nippon Support Services Director Brian Wood, who is also a Kelso City Council member, said the pulp mill was safely shut down after the Tuesday tank failure, except the onsite effluent treatment plant, which treats industrial wastewater by removing toxic chemicals. The treatment plant is minimally staffed.
He said people who can't work because of this incident are being paid.
Wood emphasized the mill's safety measures.
"We work in a highly hazardous atmosphere, in a highly hazardous industry," he said. "We approach it with utmost care in everything that we do."
Air monitoring
Brooks Stanfield, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said officials have been constantly monitoring air quality, especially hydrogen sulfide levels.
He assured that the on-site air and the air migrating from the mill are safe.
No detection of hydrogen sulfide or any other air contaminants has been found after monitoring 24 hours each day.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include more information from the latest press conference.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 12:41 PM.