Hundreds evacuated after gas leak at Pakistani nuclear plant
April 8th, 2008 - 10:24 pm ICT by adminDPA
Islamabad, April 8 (DPA) Hundreds of people were evacuated Tuesday after a leakage of hydrogen sulphide gas at a nuclear facility in eastern Pakistan, media reports said. The leakage of non-radioactive but toxic gas at the nuclear reactor in Khushab, about 250 km south of Islamabad, also left several workers at the facility unconscious, Geo news channel said. It did not report what caused the leakage.
Security forces vacated hundreds of employees from the plant and its adjacent residential colonies that house the employees.
The surrounding area in the radius of 16 kilometres was sealed off after the evacuation, and the residents of a nearby town were also ordered to move to safer places.
It was the second incident of leakage of hydrogen sulphide, which is used in the production of heavy water at the facility.
Five people were killed a couple of years back when a gas cylinder exploded while being unloaded from a truck, an official told on condition of anonymity.
The incident was never made public, given the secret nature of the activity at the plant.
The Khushab plant is used to produce plutonium, that can be used in nuclear weapons. The facility is under the control of country’s military. Pakistan tested its first atomic bomb in 1998.
DPA
- Two killed in gas leakage at Pakistan's nuclear plant - Apr 08, 2008
- Pak nuke plant gas leakage kills two - Apr 09, 2008
- Blast rocks Japanese nuclear power plant, reactor container not damaged - Mar 12, 2011
- Japan rocked by second nuclear explosion - Mar 14, 2011
- Japanese n-specialists enter Fukushima reactor building - May 05, 2011
- Apex court to hear plea against n-plants Monday - Nov 12, 2011
- Worried US demands China nuclear pact details from Pak - Oct 22, 2010
- Fukushima plant operator to evacuate control room personnel - Mar 15, 2011
- Pak's insistence on India-type nuke deal may further strain testy ties with US - Oct 16, 2010
- On Chernobyl anniversary, experts confident about nuclear energy - Apr 26, 2011
- Radioactive water leaks at Japan nuclear plant - Mar 19, 2012
- Pak's secret nuclear weapons programme infuriating US - Oct 11, 2010
- Chinese nuke plant safer than Fukushima: Experts - Mar 20, 2011
- Japan battles to reduce pressure on quake damaged nuke plants - Mar 12, 2011
- More damage to Japan's n-reactors, radiation levels soar (Third Lead) - Mar 15, 2011
Tags: anonymity, first atomic bomb, gas cylinder, gas leak, geo news channel, heavy water, hydrogen sulphide gas, islamabad, khushab, kilometres, nearby town, nuclear facility, nuclear plant, nuclear reactor, nuclear weapons, pakistan media, plutonium, secret nature, security forces, toxic gas
