Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Richland have been evacuated or told to take cover indoors after a cave-in of a tunnel containing radioactive material morning.
Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Richland have been evacuated and others have been told to take cover indoors after a tunnel containing radioactive waste caved in Tuesday morning, government officials said.
More than 3,000 workers were initially told to take cover indoors, an Energy Department spokeswoman said, but that number has since increased as a broader area of the site was included in the emergency alert. All staff had been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries, the department said.
There was no indication of a nuclear release, but crews were continuing to survey for contamination, the department said. Crews were hand surveying outer areas around the tunnels for contamination, but closer to the breach were using a remote-controlled device that can do radiological monitoring and take video.
Continue reading at Hanford workers take cover after cave-in of tunnel with radioactive waste
