Blast at French nuke plant; no risk of radiation

An explosion at a nuclear power plant on France's northwest coast yesterday caused minor injuries, but the authorities said there was no risk of radiation.

The blast took place in the engine room at the Flamanville plant, which lies 25 kilometres west of the port of Cherbourg and just across from the Channel Islands.

"It is a technical incident. It is not a nuclear accident," senior local official Jacques Witkowski told AFP.

He said a ventilator had exploded outside the nuclear zone at the plant, which has been in operation since the 1980s.

"It's all over. The emergency teams are leaving," Witkowski said. Five people suffered smoke inhalation but there were no serious injuries.