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Missile fuel leak poisons Russian servicemen |
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| RUSSIA: June 19, 2000 | ||
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VLADIVOSTOK - Toxic fuel leaked from a ballistic missile and poisoned several servicemen at a naval base in Russia's Far East on Friday, a navy official said.
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Residents in a nearby village had to lock themselves indoors to escape a toxic cloud floating away from the site of the accident, 150 km (95 miles) north-east of the port city of Vladivostok, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet said. The accident happened while the missile was being unloaded from a warship. Some highly poisonous fuel spilt from the rocket's cracked hull, reacting with the air and forming a toxic cloud, he said. He added 11 servicemen had been taken to hospital. Emergencies services urged local residents to shut their windows and stay indoors for about two hours before the cloud dissipated. Pacific Sea bases have in recent years been the site of numerous accidents ranging from minor mishaps to huge fires which destroyed several ammunition dumps.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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