A chemical tank has imploded at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in the US state of Washington, killing several people and critically injuring others, authorities said.

Emergency responders remained at the site in Longview, Cowlitz County, about 70 km north of Portland, Oregon, the Longview Fire Department said in a joint statement with Nippon and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Department.

Multiple patients suffering from chemical burns and other injuries were transported to nearby hospitals. Authorities said the implosion posed “no immediate threat to the surrounding community”.

The statement said officials “can confirm fatalities related to the incident” along with “multiple critical injuries”, but did not provide figures.

At least nine workers and one firefighter were taken to hospitals, said Scott Goldstein, the Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue chief. The number of deaths was “undetermined”, he said at a news conference.

PeaceHealth St John Medical Center in Longview told ABC News it had seen nine patients related to the incident, including one who had died. Six patients were in fair condition, and two had been transferred to other facilities.

The joint statement said a tank containing “white liquor”, a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in paper pulp production, ruptured at about 7:15 am local time (14:15 GMT). Goldstein said the 80,000-gallon (about 300,000-litre) tank was approximately 60 percent full.

Source: www.aljazeera.com