No radiation found after scare at India's Delhi airport
PUBLISHED ONMay 29, 2015 1:59 PM
NEW DELHI - A scare at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport over a suspected radioactive leak turned out to be a false alarm on Friday as atomic inspectors gave the all clear.
Airport authorities reported earlier that there had been a leak in a consignment of sodium iodide 131 - a radioactive liquid used in so-called nuclear medicine - that arrived on a Turkish Airlines passenger flight. "After an extensive assessment, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has confirmed that there was no leak of any radioactive substance in the subject shipments at Delhi Airport," a spokesman for airport operator DIAL said.
The company handling the materials, Celebi, received clearance to resume import operations, DIAL said, adding: "All other operations at Delhi Airport continue to be normal and were never interrupted." An emergency team that included representatives of India's National Disaster Response Force and atomic regulators had cordoned off the part of the airport's cargo complex where the leak was suspected. Passenger operations were not affected.
Turkish Airlines did not comment.