Report: Spain Asks US to Remove Soil Contaminated With Radiation After Accident in 1966 | Farsnews Agency

The Spanish Foreign Ministry submitted a formal request to the United States for the removal of soil that was contaminated with radiation 57 years ago in the province of Almeria, a Spanish newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources.

In 1966, land near the town of Palomares was contaminated with plutonium-239 after a US B-52 bomber with thermonuclear bombs on board collided with a KC-135 tanker aircraft. As a result of the plane crash, seven people were killed and four thermonuclear bombs were lost, Sputnik reported.

The Spanish government reminded the US of a political commitment that Madrid and Washington had signed in October 2015 on the removal of the contaminated soil to the Nevada desert, the daily noted.