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Drone crashes on S. African nuclear plant

Xinhua, August 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

A drone crashed on the site of the Koeberg Nuclear Station near Cape Town on Wednesday in contravention of the nuclear safety regulations, authorities said.

The drone was returned to its owner without the investigation having been completed, said state-owned electricity utility Eskom.

Eskom said it has subsequently suspended the Koeberg Safety officer as a precautionary measure to fully investigate the incident.

The matter has also been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) as Koeberg is a National Key Point, said Eskom.

No injuries or damage was reported.

The accident came one day after Eskom celebrated one year of no load shedding in the country that had been hit by constant blackouts that began in November 2014.

Also on Wednesday, Eskom said it has placed the Koeberg Power Station Manager and the Plant Manager on precautionary suspension as a result of the distribution of documentation containing unauthorized facts and assumptions relating to Koeberg's Production Plan and in particular, the steam generator replacement.

The potential prejudice caused to Eskom by the unauthorized actions of the suspended personnel, is currently being assessed, the parastatal said.

But Eskom said the suspension of the two managers was unrelated with the crash of the drone.

The Koeberg Nuclear is the only nuclear facility in Africa. Endit