Blaze at Nuclear Fuel Complex near Hyderabad kills 4, injures 10 others

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is widely reputed to keep its operations a secret. But when three boys and a woman died, and 10 others were injured in a blaze at the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) near Hyderabad late last month the incident could hardly be hushed up. It was perhaps the first instance in which deaths have been reported during the operations of any of the DAE establishments in the country. NFC officials were tight-lipped about the possible causes of what is euphemistically being described as "an accidental explosion".

Although the police broke the news of the incident on March 24, the same evening, the manner in which the shocking episode is being distorted and vital facts suppressed, significantly reveals the style of operations of the DAE. Characteristically, the DAE is now doing its utmost to shift responsibility to the victims instead of finding out whether the incident was an accident or resulted from its own negligence in ensuring public safety in and around the complex - the kingpin of the country's atomic energy programme.

The tragedy occurred shortly after 1 p.m. that Tuesday afternoon - the weekly holiday for the 2,000-odd NFC employees. A green-coloured lorry arrived at the security gates of the complex and was driven out to a point less than a kilometre away to dump combustible scrap of zircalloy - the material used to clad nuclear fuel rods and reactor core structures. The scrap stored in about 25 barrels was being dumped by the roadside to be destroyed by fire. Eyewitnesses, including five of the injured, told India Today that they first heard a thud. Soon after flames leapt high and their clothes caught fire.