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Magurchhara gas field explosion

AU 16 radioactive isotopes escaped leakage: BAEC

By Morshed Ali Khan
All the 16 missing radioactive isotopes miraculously’ escaped leakage and were found intact under piles of earth near the gas well in Magurchhara which exploder! on June 14 this year. Bangladesh Atomic En-ergy Commission (BAEC) officials confirmed
"We are happy to have recovered the radioactive isotopes, there was no leakage whatsoever of radioactivity and it does not pose any threat to public safety." said BAEC Chairman MA Quaiyum, explaining that thorough examinations snowed that the sources were found so intact that they can be used again.
Occidentiai. the American company, brought the radioactive sources under license from the BAEC to use them in welllogging to determine soil and rock layer compositions — a usual practice in the operation.
Immediately after the explosion in Magurchhara. BAEC scientists were deployed at the site to detect any leakage of radioactivity but found none. The matter was never officially
made public and all concerned remained tight lipped.
BAEC also asked for help from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which sent a two-member team on October 11. A team consisting of experts from BAEC. IAEA. Petrobangla and Occidental visited Magurchhara on October 13 and 14 and unearthed the sources opening a steel bunker. The radioactive sources were found in an intact condition inside their respective lead containers.
Explaining what had hap-Bined. MA Quaiyum told The ally Star that the powerful explosion sent piles ol earth into the atmosphere anti produced a large crater on the spot. The violent shakeup instantly buried the steel bunker in which the radioactive sources were locked up. The piles of earth and mud protected the lethal radioactive sources from the raging temperature that ensued as the huge well-fire kept burning for several months, he said
It was learnt that one of the sources contained 18 Curie of radioactive sources containing gamma and neutron which is ■million times" more than the radioactive leakage in Savar that occurred when an aluminum decay tank of the cooling system started leaking sometime In July last
Tf those sources leaked the result could have been disastrous. asserted another BAEC scientist He said BAEC has officially asked Occidental to make sure that those sources are always kept at a safe dis tance from the well In any future operation
Asked whether those were kept at an unsafe distance at Magurchhara the scientist said it was confusing because the crater was so large and the sale distance would still become unsafe tn such a situation