At around 10 o'clock on the morning of Thursday 9 February, an explosion shook the Flamanville nuclear power plant in France, where a new (and controversial) EPR reactor has been under construction for years. According to reports in the French press, the risk of radioactive leaks has been ruled out.

Five people poisoned at the nuclear power plant

The blast – which occurred in a machine room and not in the nuclear section of the site – nevertheless caused five men to be overcome by fumes, though their conditions are not said to be serious. Jacques Lepetit, mayor of the municipality of Les Pieux, the closest to the plant, told the daily 20 Minutes that he had met the site director after the incident, who assured him that "the smoke release has been contained" and that "operations are under control." Despite this, "a large number of rescue personnel and vehicles" were deployed.

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The construction of the new reactor at the French plant has long been in the crosshairs of French environmentalists, who point out, among other things, the serious delays accumulated and the extremely high costs of the project. The latter have in fact tripled compared to initial forecasts, reaching and exceeding 10 billion euros. This has been compounded by fierce controversy over certain components rejected by the Nuclear Safety Authority as defective.