Russia Says Five Died in Blast Where Radiation Spike Reported

  • Missile test involved isotope power source, Rosatom says
  • Local officials reported jump in radiation then removed notice

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Photographer: Sergei Bobylev/TASS
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Russia’s state nuclear company, Rosatom, said five employees were killed and three were hurt in an explosion at a Barents Sea military facility that prompted local officials to report a spike in radiation levels.

The blast occurred on an offshore platform during a missile test involving “isotope power sources in a liquid propulsion system” in the northern Arkhangelsk region, the company said Saturday, according to the Interfax news service. The injured suffered “burns of varying severity” and were moved to a specialist medical center for treatment, it said.