IAEA seeks more info. in Mayapuri radioactive waste incident

NEW DELHI - International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN atomic watchdog, on Saturday said that it has sought more information related to the radioactive waste incident, which occurred at New Delhi’s Mayapuri area recently and involved Delhi University.

The watchdog had become aware “of the possibility of a serious radiation emergency at Mayapuri in New Delhi” via media reports on April 9, a local daily quoted International Atomic Energy Agency spokesman Marc Vridricaire as saying on Saturday in Vienna.

He said as a result, the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre has contacted India’s Department of Atomic Energy to request information and offer help.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), which is India’s atomic energy regulator, is presently investigating a claim that Delhi University buried radioactive material on its campus 20 years ago.

The Indian Department of Atomic Energy had “confirmed the initial event,” and the AERB had notified the IAEA that “multiple Cobalt-60 sources” had been located and secured, Vridricaire further added.

The incident affected seven persons and has already claimed a fatality caused by exposure to radiation.(ANI)