Belarus, Ukraine officials deny rumours of new Chernobyl accident

Minsk, May 25, 2005 -- BBC Monitoring

Officials in Belarus and Ukraine have denied information about an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Rumours spread in Minsk on 25 May that there has been an accident at the nuclear power plant and that radiation has increased. The rumours were denied by the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Protection of the Population from the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster. A senior operations duty officer at the ministry told Belapan that the rumours about a fire or an accident at the nuclear power plant are groundless. He said that the situation at the plant is as usual and no emergencies have happened there. The Belarusian Emergencies Ministry also said that it had no information about any accidents at the nuclear power plant. A duty officer said that the radiation background in Belarus was normal.

Source: Belapan news agency, Minsk, in Russian 1605 gmt 25 May 05

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