1 Dead in Accident at Plant of Nippon Paper’s U.S. Unit

Silicon Valley, May 27 (Jiji Press)–A chemical tank at a plant of a U.S. unit of Japan’s Nippon Paper Industries Co. ruptured Tuesday, leaving one dead and nine others injured, local fire authorities said. Nine other people are missing after the accident at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. factory in Longview in the western U.S. state of Washington. There is no danger to the surrounding area from the incident, according to the authorities. Local firefighters and others are searching for the missing individuals and investigating the cause of the tank rupture. No Japanese nationals are among the dead, injured or missing people, officials of Japan’s Foreign Ministry said. Nippon Paper Industries said Wednesday that the company is working to identify the cause of the “tank collapse” while assessing the impacts on its production and business performance. The Longview-based subsidiary, acquired by the Japanese company in 2016, mainly produces paper for beverage packs and had 564 employees at the end of 2025. “We express our deepest condolences and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families,” Nippon Paper Industries said in a statement. “We also sincerely apologize for the immense concern and inconvenience this has caused to the local community, our business partners and all related parties,” the company added. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]