WA industrial spill leaves hundreds more fish dead

Emergency response crews retrieved another 337 dead fish Tuesday from around the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in Longview, where a chemical tank failed last week, killing 11 people.

Officials also confirmed the tank has a 900,000-gallon capacity and spilled about 600,000 gallons of the caustic chemical white liquor" during the failure. Estimates had varied wildly in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

Tuesday's dead fish count brings the total number recovered to 2,450, according to the state Department of Ecology.

"Many of the fish being recovered likely died earlier within the ditch system and are now moving through the waterways likely because of flushing efforts," according to the release. "Species we collected include common carp, catfish,

sunfish, bass, peamouth chub, bridgelip sucker, northern pikeminnow, sculpin, and redside shiner.

Workers also collected a pair of hatchery-raised salmon, and those specimens are being kept for analysis.

With remains of all the lost workers recovered, state investigators have said they can begin their review of the accident in earnest.

Longview firefighters clarified Tuesday that a total of 10 people were taken to local hospitals by ambulance: Two later died; one was a firefighter who has been treated and released; and three workers remained hospitalized this week.

The patient count did not include any people who went to a hospital by private vehicle.

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