Multiple injured in chemical explosion in US state of Washington

Multiple people were injured Tuesday in a major chemical explosion at a Nippon pulp and paper mill in the Northwestern US state of Washington, according to local authorities.

The fire department in the city of Longview said in a statement on US social media platform Facebook that emergency crews responded to the blast around 7.30 am local time and warned residents to avoid Industrial Way and surrounding areas as crews continued to work at the scene.

The department called the incident an "active emergency response" and said additional information would be released as it becomes available.

Authorities did not immediately provide details on the number of injuries or the cause of the explosion.

The Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility is located near the Columbia River on the border with the state of Oregon.