One person was killed and more than 100 were hospitalized Friday in an explosion at the world’s largest uranium enrichment plant in central Russia’s Ural mountains.
The incident in a workshop at the Ural Electrochemical Combine in Novouralsk happened after a cylinder with depleted uranium hexafluoride was “depressurized” at about 9 a.m. local time, according to Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, which owns the plant. Local news outlet E1 referred to the incident as an explosion.
According to Rosatom’s Telegram account, “depleted uranium hexafluoride is a byproduct of processing uranium hexafluoride into enriched uranium. The compound is 1.7 times less radioactive than natural uranium and poses no threat to human health.”
E1 reported that the person who died was equipment maintenance mechanic Yuri Slezkin, 64, who was crushed by a lid.