Russia may replace Belarus' nuclear reactor after accident

MINSK, Belarus (AP) ' Russia's state-controlled nuclear company says it's ready to replace a nuclear reactor for Belarus' first atomic plant after a construction accident.Rosatom's deputy director, Alexander Lokshin, said Monday that construction workers preparing to install the reactor failed to strap it up properly. He said it slipped down slowly and touched the ground softly in the July 10 incident.Lokshin insisted the reactor wasn't damaged, but added that Rosatom recognizes how sensitive the nuclear safety issue is for the Belarusian public and stands ready to replace it with another unit.Belarus has suffered severe damage from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in then-Soviet Ukraine, which spewed radioactive fallout across large areas. The Belarusian opposition, which has opposed the nuclear plant, pointed at the incident to demand halting the project.Join the conversation about this story
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