All cargo operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were suspended after a radioactive leak was reported on Friday. However, nuclear regulatory and Delhi authorities later denied any radioactive leakage. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) found that an “organic liquid” from another consignment had spilled over the cargo containing nuclear medicine and it was initially thought that the leakage was from that package.
Earlier, it was reported that there was a leak of low radioactive Sodium Iodide liquid Class 7 from a consignment unloaded from a Turkish Airline plane sending security agencies into a tizzy. The consignment was said to be imported for medical purpose by a Delhi-based multi-specialty hospital. The authorities at the airport had cordoned off the cargo area and all the staff had been evacuated. The cargo operations were suspended for a few hours as a precautionary measure. Delhi International Airport limited (DIAl) has initiated a probe. However, AERB Vice-Chairman R Bhattacharya later said that after conducting the probe at the site, it was found that there was no radioactive leakage. “The leakage on the consignment was a spillover from another consignment. It is some organic liquid,” he said.
District Magistrate of New Delhi Sanjay Kumar too confirmed that there was no leakage of radioactive material at the airport. Kumar said some packets were found to be wet and the cargo staff thought that it may be due to leakage from the consignment. He added since the consignment was marked as ‘Radioactive Material Type-A Package’, all agencies concerned, including AERB and Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), were informed. “AERB and INMAS teams confirmed there was no radioactive leakage,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the leak has been “plugged”. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was called in to check the substance and plug the leak, sources said. The matter came to light when a pair of loaders felt irritation while handling containers that arrived on board a Turkish Airlines aircraft at 4.35 am. leakage was observed from four of the 10 containers of 13 kg each that were imported from Turkey.
Delhi International Airport limited (DIAl), which operates the airport, had said in a statement that there was no risk of exposure to any passenger as the area where the leak has been reported is far away from any of the passenger terminals. Meanwhile, aviation regulator DGCA has initiated a probe into the incident. A team headed by the Director of Air Safety has been constituted to conduct an investigation, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement. NDRF chief OP Singh had said that a special ten-member team from its base at Dwarka, close to the airport, was rushed to the spot and had sanitised the area. The Aviation Ministry statement said flight operations at the airport were not affected.