On May 26, a massive industrial tank that held around 900,000 gallons (about 3.4 million liters) of chemicals ruptured at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company paper mill in Longview, Washington state, killing at least one person and injuring nine, while nine more people are still missing.
Emergency crews plan to stabilize the tank before continuing to search for other missing persons.
According to the Longview Fire Department, the incident was a "major chemical explosion." Fire officials further said that there is no immediate threat to the public.
From chemical blasts to structural failures, history is full of examples of tragic disasters that have claimed lives and left lasting scars. Click on and take a look at this gallery of some truly dreadful disasters that have claimed lives and injured many others.