During work with isotopic power sources: five Rosatom employees died during engine tests

Five employees of the state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom were killed in an explosion at a military training ground in the Arkhangelsk region. This was reported in the press service of the organization. It is also reported that three more people received injuries and burns of varying severity.

“The tragedy occurred during the period of work related to the engineering and technical support of isotopic power sources in a liquid propulsion system,” the press release said.

“At the moment, all the victims have been delivered to a specialized medical institution, they are provided with all the necessary medical care,” the Rosatom website says.

The state corporation expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims. It is emphasized that they will be provided with the necessary assistance and support.

In turn, commenting on the incident, the source of RIA Novosti in the Ministry of Defense said that as a result of the ignition of the experimental engine at the military training ground, both state corporation employees and the military were killed.

“Experts from Rosatom and the Ministry of Defense died at a training ground in the Arkhangelsk region as a result of the ignition of an experimental liquid propulsion system. By coincidence, at the time of the fire, Rosatom employees checked isotopic power sources designed for a liquid reactive installation, ”the agency’s source said.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported two dead and six injured as a result of the accident on August 8. The military department noted that among them were both representatives of the "enterprise-developer" and the military. At the same time, a source in the emergency services of the region told TASS that three of the hospitalized were in serious condition.

“Three are in serious condition, but the lives of all the injured servicemen and civilian experts are not in danger,” the agency quoted the source as saying.

“There is no threat to the population”

Recall, on August 8, an emergency occurred in a military unit near the city of Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Region. The Ministry of Defense reported that the incident occurred during tests of a jet liquid propulsion system.

All victims of the incident were taken to other regions, a source in the power structures of the North-West Federal District told TASS. However, he did not specify exactly where the victims were sent.

“All victims from the region were sent from medical institutions of the region for treatment to other regions of the country,” the TASS interlocutor said.

It is noted that after the incident in Severodvinsk, a short-term increase in the radiation background was recorded.

“At around 12 o’clock in Severodvinsk, a short-term excess of the radiation background was recorded,” said Ksenia Yudina, head of the press service of the city administration.

As explained by Valentin Magomedov, head of the civil protection department of the administration of Severodvinsk, the radiation level increased by half an hour to 2 microsievert per hour. As previously noted in the press service of the city hall, the limit level is 0.6 microsievert per hour.

“In the period from 11:50 Moscow time to 12:20 Moscow time, an increase in the background radiation to 2 microsievert per hour was detected. Currently, the radiation level is 0.1 microsievert per hour, there is no threat to the population, ”he said.

A recommendation was sent to employees of the institutions of Severodvinsk not to leave the premises, however, as explained in the mayor's office, this is explained by an automatic mailing system, which starts when the excess radiation is detected.

“There is a certain order. When the radiological observation sensors are triggered, a telephone message is automatically sent to the city institutions. In it, in particular, recommendations are made: to close windows, windows, and if possible not to leave the premises. This is always done before the data analysis, ”the administration told Interfax.

Later, on August 9, representatives of the administration reported that, according to the results of soil, water and air analyzes, no radiation levels were exceeded. The samples were studied by employees of the regional Rospotrebnadzor and a specialist from the St. Petersburg Institute of Radiation Hygiene named after P.V. Ramzaeva Alexey Gromov.

“Air, soil, water samples were taken, the assessment of the radiation background in Severodvinsk and its environs was checked. The check covered several settlements. None of them exceeded the normal level of radiation background, ”said Gromov.