Seven firefighter units and four medical emergency vehicles were rushed to the Ascó nuclear power plant in Catalonia, Spain tonight at around 7 pm local time after a after a major carbon dioxide leak was reported at the facility.
One of the workers affected has died, and three have been urgently hospitalized after what local authorities suspect was an overcharge in the plant’s fire protection system.
Emergency crews secured the facility and evacuated the casualties.
The fire-fighting system at the plant “suffered a CO2 leak that has affected four people,” Catalan authorities announced.
Three workers that survived the leak are currently in a hospital in nearby Móra d’Ebre.
There was no radiation release from the incident, according to both the plant and the local authorities.
The Ascó plant in Catalonia had been investigated for a radiation leak at the Unit 1 reactor in November 2007, resulting in the firing of its director.