Six injured in Kudankulam N-plant accident

Chennai, May 14 (IANS) Six workers were injured at Tamil Nadu’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) on Wednesday when hot water spilled on them while they were carrying out maintenance work, said a senior official.

"Six workers were on some maintenance job when hot water spilled on them while working on a pipeline. They have been admitted to hospital. There is nothing to worry about their safety," R.S. Sundar, KNPP site director, told IANS over phone.

He denied reports about any boiler having burst in the first unit of the KNPP and added that the reactor was functioning properly and there was no worry on that count.

The injured workers were admitted to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) hospital in Kudankulam town, Sundar said.

M. Pushparayan, an activist of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), told IANS over phone from Tuticorin: "We are not sure where the injured workers have been admitted. People have seen six ambulances going beyond the township."

G. Sundarrajan, who had moved the Supreme Court against the commissioning of the plant, said: "Today’s accident at the KNPP is an indication of the status of the project. The parts are third-rate and it is a warning message for the people of Tamil Nadu."

The NPCIL is setting up two 1,000 MW atomic power plants with Russian technology in Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district around 650 km from here.