Worker feared missing in salt piles at Longview chemical plant

LONGVIEW, Wash. - A worker at a chemical plant in Longview may have disappeared into a sea of salt on Christmas Day.

The man reportedly went missing on his Christmas shift at Equa-Chlor, which uses salt mixed with water and electricity to produce chlorine and caustic soda on the Weyerhauser complex in Longview. Company Vice President Tim Root tells KATU that managers believe the employee did not leave the site, since his vehicle is still there.

"The search of the plant site led searchers to be concerned that the missing person may have fallen into a very large pile of salt and become buried," according to a press release from the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office reports. "Rescue efforts to search the salt and other areas on the plate site have not been successful." 

Search and Rescue dogs were brought to the site Saturday. As of 6 p.m. the dogs had not located the missing worker. A search coordinator from the sheriff's office remained at the plant Saturday night, working with members of Equa-Chlor on the search. 

A Cowlitz County sheriff spokesperson reports "no reason to believe there is any foul play involved."

Equa-Chlor keeps about 40,000 to 45,000 tons of salt on their docks at any time, reports Root. Crews are using a front-end loader and a vacuum truck to dig through the 45,000-or-so tons of salt at the plant.

The salt piles are one of many areas search Saturday by emergency workers. Other areas include all of the plant's buildings and manufacturing areas.
 
Root also reports that, with a regular roster of 65 employees, Equa-Chlor has never had a missing persons case. Equa-Chlor sells its chemical elements primarily in the Pacific Northwest.