SCI/TECH: Mihama Nuclear Reactors May Be Shut Down After Monday Accident, page 1

Four contract workers were killed and seven others got severely burnt in Mondays accident at the Mihama nuclear plant. The accident was supposedly caused by a ruptured pipe that, despite warnings, had not undergone any inspections since 1976, when the reactor was activated.

news.ft.com
Government inspectors were on Tuesday trying to determine the cause of Monday�s fatal accident at the Mihama nuclear plant and to decide whether other reactors need to be shut down to undergo safety inspections.

In a press conference, Hiroshi Matsumura, managing director, said: �We did not believe the pipe had to be examined immediately, but that proved to be wrong.�

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Yet another blow to the already highly criticized nuclear power plant industry. With all the alleged usual cover-up of events such as this, are we actually overdue for another Chernobyl-sized accident? And are we putting enough focus and funding into finding proper non-lethal alternatives before that, or something even worse happens?

Related News Links:
news.ft.com
www.chernobyl.co.uk

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESEARCH PROJECT

[edit on 8-10-2004 by Valhall]