Spain asks the US to remove the radioactive soil caused by the 1966 air collision in Almería

The Spanish government has formally asked the United States to remove soil contaminated with radioactivity after a mid-air collision saw four hydrogen bombs drop near Palomares in Almería province in 1966.

Although the bombs did not explode, the two plutonium-filled detonators exploded, spreading several kilograms of highly radioactive plutonium-239 across the landscape.

So far, a total of 50,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil have been spread on several plots of about 40 hectares, which were fenced off in 2007 due to high levels of radiation.

Since then, the government has been renting the land to its owners to keep it protected and now hopes to expropriate it.

He The country The newspaper says that Spain’s request was submitted several months ago and that the US reaction has so far been positive.

It also suggests that the Spanish government wants to solve the problem before the general elections this year.

Spain and the US signed a declaration of intent in 2015 to negotiate a binding agreement to restore and clean up the Palomares site and arrange for the disposal of the contaminated soil at an appropriate site in the Americas, but nothing has happened since.

The bombs fell on January 17, 1966, when an American B-52 bomber and a refueling plane collided with each other, killing seven of the 11 crew members.

There were no casualties on the ground.

The accident occurred during the height of the Cold War, when US policy was to constantly keep nuclear-armed fighter jets airborne near the Soviet border as part of Operation Chrome Dome, with flexibility to strike targets quickly. if necessary.

The Palomares accident caused a serious diplomatic crisis between Spain and the US and all those flights were stopped in Europe and the Mediterranean.

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