Pakistan nuclear facility blast kills one
ISN SECURITY WATCH (Wednesday, 8 February: 15.59 CET) – A technician at Pakistan’s main nuclear research facility has been killed in an explosion, Pakistani authorities confirmed to news agencies.
The late Tuesday blast at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) occurred when the technician was handling conventional explosives, according to a statement from the Pakistani military.
Military officials rejected media speculation that terrorists were behind the explosion, playing down the incident as a minor accident.
There were no other casualties or injuries reported in the incident.
The research facility is named after Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. Khan confessed in 2004 that he had sold sensitive technology to Iran, North Korea, and Libya on the nuclear black market. He is now under house arrest in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
KRL, set up in the 1970s, is Pakistan’s main nuclear enrichment facility.
The late Tuesday blast at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) occurred when the technician was handling conventional explosives, according to a statement from the Pakistani military.
Military officials rejected media speculation that terrorists were behind the explosion, playing down the incident as a minor accident.
There were no other casualties or injuries reported in the incident.
The research facility is named after Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. Khan confessed in 2004 that he had sold sensitive technology to Iran, North Korea, and Libya on the nuclear black market. He is now under house arrest in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
KRL, set up in the 1970s, is Pakistan’s main nuclear enrichment facility.
posted by Marko at 2/08/2006 09:34:00 AM
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