Explosion at Romania Nuclear Lab
An officer was killed early Monday in an explosion at a nuclear, biological and chemical research plant in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
An officer was killed early Monday in an explosion at a nuclear, biological and chemical research plant in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
The spokesman, Florin Jiba, said there was no danger to the public. He said the facility specialized in defending against nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
Octavian Viorel Mihai, 37, an explosives specialist, died from injuries suffered in the blast Monday morning, the spokesman said. Three others were slightly injured, Agerpres news agency reported.
Another ministry spokesman, Costi Spanu, said in a statement that the plant did not handle chemical or biological materials "that could cause panic." He did not specifically deny that the facility handled such material, however.
"It was a small explosion," he said.
Another ministry spokesman, Cezar Stroe, told the Associated Press the explosive materials used at the plant "were very small quantities used for research." He said Romanian legal safety standards were respected.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that an investigation was underway.
Source: The Associated Press