URGENTE: Explosión en planta nuclear francesa deja al menos un muerto y cuatro heridos

Explosión en planta nuclear francesa deja al menos un muerto y cuatro heridos



Al menos una persona fallecida y cuatro heridos dejó hoy la explosión de un horno en la central nuclear de Marcoule, ubicada al sureste de Francia, cerca de Niza.


De acuerdo con las primeras informaciones, un incendio se produjo en la zona de desechos radiactivos, lo que provocó el estallido. A su vez, la Autoridad de Seguridad Nuclear (ASN) afirmó que no existe ningún riesgo de fuga radiactiva, pues el incidente ocurrió en un contenedor donde se tratan residuos de baja calidad.

Efectivos policiales y bomberos acordonaron la zona y establecieron un perímetro de seguridad.

Marcoule es un complejo de procesamiento de desechos nucleares, pero no posee reactores como Fuksuhima. Está situado junto al río Ródano y no lejos de la ciudad de Orange, en el departamento de Gard, cuya capital es Nimes.

En la central, una de las más antiguas del país, se realizaron los primeros ensayos con plutonio tanto para uso civil como militar y es un centro pionero de la energía atómica desde los años 50.

Explosion at French nuclear site kills 1

A partial view of the nuclear plant in Marcoule near Nimes, France, taken on October 20, 2003
- French nuclear safety agency inspectors race to the site

- An oven explodes at the Marcoule nuclear site in southeastern France

- There is no radioactive leak, electricity company EDF says

- France relies on nuclear power for about 80% of its energy

KEY TOPICS

- Nuclear Energy

- France

- EDF Group

Paris, France -- An oven exploded Monday at a nuclear site in France, killing one person and injuring four, a spokeswoman for French energy company EDF told.

There was no radioactive leak or waste released, she said. The French nuclear safety agency also said there had been no radioactive leak.

The explosion happened at a center for processing and decommissioning nuclear waste, said the safety agency, which is known by its French acronym ASN.

The agency has sent inspectors to the site, it said in a statement.

The explosion took place in Marcoule, in southeastern France, the EDF spokeswoman said, declining to give her name in line with company policy.

Different activities take place at the large-scale site, including research by France's Center for Atomic Energy, said a spokeswoman for Areva, a nuclear company which has operations at Marcoule.

Areva dismantles nuclear facilities at the site, she said.

There are no nuclear power plants in Marcoule, the spokeswoman said, declining to give her name.

Weapons-grade plutonium is produced at the plant, the think tank Global Security says.

EDF did not immediately confirm that, and Areva said it did not work with weapons-grade plutonium at the site.

France relies heavily on nuclear power, which now accounts for about 80% of the country's electricity production, according to the U.S. State Department.

The French government has been reviewing the country's dependence on nuclear energy in the wake of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in Japan in March 2011, which was triggered by an earthquake and tsunami.

There have been no serious suggestions from mainstream politicians that France reduce its dependence on nuclear power, the State Department says.