Radioactive substance safe in quake-hit Sichuan

New Delhi, June 7 : The Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection on Friday stated that all nuclear facilities in south west Sichuan Province are safe and under control and no radioactive substance has leaked into the environment.

The Ministry said that the last 15 of the 50 radiation "sources" in southwest China's quake zone have been moved to safety. No detailed information was given, about where the sources were in Sichuan Province or where they were taken.

According to Xinhua, the radiation "sources" referred to as radioactive material, are kept in sealed protective containers, mostly for civilian use.

After the devastating May 12 earthquake, environmental authorities checked 228 organizations that held radioactive material and identified 50 sources as being at risk.

The Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, Wu Xeroxing, at a press conference on May 23, confirmed that 35 radioactive sources were moved to safe areas.

But three of the 15 remaining were buried under rubble, while the other 12 were in dangerous buildings that technicians could not enter.

The authorities had removed several other radiation sources at the request of their owners, although none of them proved to be in danger.

ANI