nuclear-news

Test rocket explosion causes radiation spike in northern Russian city

Test rocket explosion causes radiation spike in northern Russian city, killing two,  https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2019/08/09/rocket-radiation-explosion-russia/?fbclid=IwAR1udqv3rSjTDZE5hZpDHPDo-r7Q-zPhdnuvA-Ejqwu4iButecBmHPW2QdU    Locals have been urged to take iodine tablets and stay indoors after a liquid-propellant rocket engine exploded at a nuclear test site, spiking radiation levels, killing two people and injuring another six.

Greenpeace cited data from the Emergencies Ministry that it said showed radiation levels had risen 20 times above the normal level in Severodvinsk, which is about 30 kilometres from Nyonoksa.

The environmental group said it had appealed to Russia’s consumer watchdog to establish how high radiation had risen, whether it posed a health risk to people and what had actually caused the spike.
According to Norway’s Barents Observer, the explosion happened about 9am on Thursday local time.

The paper reported the site is used for the testing of liquid-fuelled engines of ballistic missiles “for strategic nuclear-powered submarines”.

Authorities in Severodvinsk, which has a population of 185,000, reported the spike, forcing a bay in the White Sea to shut down to shipping.

“A short-term rise in background radiation was recorded at 12 o’clock in Severodvinsk,” Ksenia Yudina said on Thursday local time.   However, Russia’s defence ministry was quoted earlier by state media as saying radiation was normal.

August 10, 2019 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, Russia