Barcelona, Spain - The administrative board of a north- eastern Spanish nuclear plant has sacked its director and protection chief after it was revealed that radioactive particles leaked from there in November, the Asco I nuclear plant said Wednesday. Some 800 people are undergoing health checks to make sure they have not been significantly affected by the leak, which occurred during refuelling at the plant near Tarragona.
Nearly 580 people have already been checked, with no evidence of health damage so far.
The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) accused the Asco I plant of having downplayed the seriousness of the leak when initially informing the watchdog about it in April.
Police were meanwhile searching for a case containing radioactive geology instruments that had been stolen from a car near Madrid.
The kit only contained low-level sources of radioactivity, the CSN said, nevertheless advising the eventual finder of the case not to open it.
