Radioactive leak at Delhi airport below permissible limit; emergency called off

NEW DELHI: A Radiological Emergency at Delhi airport has been called off after it was found that the radiation was below the permissible limit and was 'not a leakage'.

"An inadvertently wrong radiological emergency message was conveyed. A nuclear medicine Molibdenum 99 was being brought from Air France flight on behalf of B L Kapoor Hospital, Pusa Road. The quantity of radiation emitted from the nuclear medicine is below 1 mill rongen (measurement of radiation). There is no beta radiation in the surrounding areas and there is no leakage. Hence it cannot be termed as an emergency," said a civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified.

Following the reports of a suspected leak this morning, the entire cargo area of the Terminal 3 at Delhi airport was cordoned off and evacuated. Fire engines were put on stand-by.

Specialist teams were dispatched to conduct the tests and a team from the National Disaster Management Authority also reached the spot. The crisis management group of the Department of Atomic Energy was activated.

The consignment was of 16 packets of material for cancer treatment arrived by Air France AF 226 last night at 2230 hrs.

Officers from BARC and NDRF have cleared at 1355 hrs that there is no anticipation of any harm, said officials.