A chemical tank explosion kills several people in the US State of Washington Health Issues

Several injured people have been taken to hospitals for treatment of burns and drugs.

A chemical tanker has crashed into a Nippon Dynawave manufacturing facility in the US state of Washington, killing several people and seriously injuring others, authorities said.

Emergency responders on Tuesday remained at the scene in the city of Longview in Cowlitz County, about 70km (45 miles) north of Portland, Oregon, the Longview Fire Department said in a statement issued by Nippon and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Department.

Several patients with chemical burns and other injuries were taken to nearby hospitals. Officials said the disruption “doesn’t scare people around”.

The statement said authorities “can confirm the death toll” and “serious injuries”, but did not provide figures.

At least nine workers and one firefighter were taken to hospitals from the scene, said Scott Goldstein, chief of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue who was one of the first responders. The number of people who died “is not known”, he said at a press conference.

PeaceHealth St John Medical Center in Longview told ABC News it saw nine patients related to the incident, including one who died. Six of the patients were in good condition, and two other patients were transferred to another facility, the hospital told ABC.

The joint statement said a tank containing “white liquor”, sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide chemicals used in the production of paper pulp, exploded at around 7:15am local time (14:15 GMT).

Goldstein said at a press conference that the 80,000-gallon (about 300,000 liters) tank was about 60 percent full.

In southern CaliforniaMeanwhile, authorities have been monitoring an industrial tank that is heating up with a chemical called methyl methacrylate, which is a highly flammable chemical used in the production of plastics. The worst possibility of an explosion was reported Monday at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove after a crack caused some problems with the lift, officials said.

Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Greg Barta said Tuesday morning that the tank’s temperature is stabilizing and that crews are working to get evacuees home as soon as possible.