News Writing Exercise-Radioactive Leak in Vandrem

An accident involving a nuclear powered submarine and a tug boat occurred at Vandrem dockyard at around 3am last night.

Emergency services were called to deal with a release of fission products from the submarines fuel, which is a serious radiation hazard.

No radioactive material has been released into the atmosphere and the river Musse has not been contaminated, although engineers on site say that there may be a radiation hazard in the immediate vicinity of the submarine.

The dockyard and naval base have been evacuated and an immediate investigation into the cause of the accident is being carried out.

Residents within two kilometers of the site have been advised to stay indoors, close all doors, windows and ventilators and to damp down open fires. Potassium iodate tablets have been handed out which protect against the risk of radioactive iodine, one of the radioactive materials, being absorbed into the body.

Mandovia Naval Commander Simeon Gadd, who is coordinating the emergency operation, said: ‘the leak is restricted to a small area within the submarine itself and the measures are purely precautionary. There is no danger whatsoever of a nuclear explosion but people should stay in their homes.’

It is believed that a tug boat collided with the submarine at the north end of the naval base, damaging the submarines nuclear reactor. The radioactive materials released are fission products that consist of gases and fine particles mixed with steam, although the concentration and radiation emitted from them decreases rapidly the further from the reactor they are.

For further information residents of Vandrem should listen to further broadcasts on the TV and radio or alternatively log on to the city council website, www.vandremcitycouncil.com.



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