No radiation leak at French nuclear plant after blast

There has been no radiation leak at Marcoule nuclear site in south of France after a blast on Monday, said France's nuclear safety watchdog ASN. "There was no leak outside the plant" after the explosion which killed one person and injured four others, added ASN. The state nuclear regulating body said that it is in direct touch with the prefecture of the Gard department, as well as with the facility's operator. The state nuclear regulating body announced that its emergency center in Paris was activated at 12.30 a.m., soon after the incident occurred at the Marcoule nuclear waste treatment, Centraco, owned by power giant Electricite de France (EDF). The nuclear facility is a center where low-level radioactive waste, such as overalls, rubber gloves and metallic tools, is recycled. "According to early reports, it appears to be the explosion of a furnace used to melt metallic radioactive waste of weak and very weak radioactivity", said ASN in a press release.