Kiev says radiation levels at Chernobyl area "normal" despite woods fire
Xinhua, May 1, 2015 Adjust font size:
The woods fire that engulfed the exclusion zone around the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant has not affected radiation levels in the area, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
"The radiation levels in the territory of the fire are within normal limits, the State Service for Emergencies said in a statement.
There has been also no increase in radiation parameters in the areas close to the Chernobyl zone, the statement said, adding that the fire near the abandoned nuclear power plant has been localized and the operation to fully extinguish it is underway.
On Tuesday, a massive fire engulfed a wood near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where one of the world's worst nuclear disasters happened 29 years ago.
On April 26, 1986, a series of explosions occurred at the plant located 110 km north of the Ukrainian capital, resulting in the demolition of the No. 4 reactor and the spread of radiation across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and some European countries.
In Ukraine alone, the contaminated area reached more than 50, 000 square km. Enditem