The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office issued a statement yesterday saying up to 29 "uncontrolled radioactive elements" had been discovered in a workshop at the Chechenneftekhimprom production facility. The statement described radioactivity there as "catastrophic," saying it was 58,000 times higher than admissible levels.
The source of the pollution has been identified as an isotope known as Cobalt-60.
The prosecutor's office in Chechnya has opened a criminal investigation.
(ORT/genproc.gov.ru)