No Radiation Leak after French Nuclear Site Blast

a general view of the nuclear power plant of Marcoule, in Chusclan, France, 30 March 2011. EPA/BGNES

There has been no radiation leak after Monday's explosion "for the moment," a spokesman for the French nuclear energy commission has said

According to international media, local police authorities also said there was no contamination outside the site, which is about 30 km (18 miles) from the city of Avignon and about 80 km (50 miles) from the Mediterranean coast.

One person was killed and four were injured at an explosion at the French nuclear waste site Monday morning.

Marcoule is a nuclear waste management site that does not include any reactors. The explosion took place near a furnace, according to a spokesperson of the French nuclear watchdog ASN, as cited by international media.

The furnace that exploded is used to melt waste with levels of radioactivity ranging from low to very high, ASN said.

ASN has not provided an immediate explanation of the blast but insisted that its consequences have been contained on the spot.

France is the world's most nuclear-reliant country with 58 nuclear reactors. It has been carrying out stress tests on its own nuclear facilities in the aftermath of the Fukushima NPP disaster in Japan, where French experts were also summoned to help tackle the consequences.

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