A gas leak at a Spanish nuclear power plant has left one person dead and three people in hospital, local emergency services said on Wednesday.
Carbon dioxide was released at Asco, a nuclear power station in Catalonia. It is located approximately 80 miles from Barcelona.
According to Twitter, the leak occurred due to a problem in the plant’s fire protection system. The regional fire service said that the radioactive material was unrelated.
Photo: Asco nuclear power station in Catalonia (Spanish region), which witnessed a gas leak Wednesday evening, resulting in three people being killed and another three injured.
According to Spanish Elperiodico, the victim was a 42 year-old male from Mora d’Ebre. He is believed to have been one of the permanent firefighters at the nuclear plant.
According to emergency services, the mild injuries sustained by three patients at Mora d’Ebre Hospital from inhalation of carbon dioxide were minor.
Twitter account of the local fire department stated that they were alerted by the plant to warn firefighters at 18:55 Wednesday night.
The fire department stated shortly thereafter that it was planning to depart the scene after having checked the extraction fans and made sure the systems worked properly.
‘Together with the staff of the Ascó nuclear power plant, [Catalan firefighters]The fire department tweeted Wednesday night that they had checked extractors and verified the site’s technical performance.
Sources from the Bombers de la Generalitat told Europe Press that the incident was linked to maintenance work.
“At the time the ignition takes place, the CO2 starts to displace and leave the oxygen. Once there is no oxygen, combustion ceases. This is how to extinguish fires where water can’t be used, according to the sources.