TheLostPhotographer

Apologies for The Independent's tabloid style scare headline...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...e-2198466.html

Can anyone living around Mojacar, and the Alcanzar valley give a local take on this story? I remember hearing something about 5 years ago when I was photographing the area, but never found reliable records.

Anyone know of a verifiable account of the original accident?

Lenox

The event happened over Palomares (Cuevas de la Almanzora) on Jan 17th 1966. A B52 was refueling and hit the tanker. Four thermonuclear bombs came down with the rest of the two planes. You can google for lots of info on it.
I think Chernobyl is a bit more radioactive, but the mayor here is shaking his heads.

Bri and Katee

I was going to say Chernobyl in the Ukraine has to take credit for that accolade.

TheLostPhotographer

I'm more interested in the times of the accident. US airforce doing this stuff over Spanish airspace in Europe (I guess Europe was never really a continent), but I think I agree with The Independent putting the Ukraine somewhere else as part of the former USSR. Politically, if not geographically.

EsuriJohn

Two were recovered from the sea almost intact one broke up on impact with the ground and thousands of tonnes of soil were removed and flown to the ConUS for storage. No one will say what happened to the fourth!!!

Lenox

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidente_de_Palomares - there are links and bibliography in English. An American major wrote a book about the events: 'The Bombs of Palomares' by Tad Szulc and I found another at amazon: 'America's Lost H-Bomb: Palomares, Spain, 1966' by Randall C. Maydew and Julie Bush (one of the four bombs fell into the sea and was either found while Franco was visiting, or a fake was substituted. Quien sabe?).

Treegod

Does anyone know about "zones". I visited some people a few weeks ago and they live near the nuclear plant near Ascó, Catalonia. So close that they are in "Zona 1", so if anything happens they'll never know about it.

I was just wondering if there's any info to be found about these different zones. And find out where I am in relation to this plant.

steviedeluxe

I don't know about that, but I'm amused by the appropriate name Ascó! Bad enough to have such a name, but then they build a nuclear power plant there!

bil

I'm sure we can trust the States to have dealt with it honestly and properly.

EsuriJohn

Really!

bil

How could you suspect otherwise?

EsuriJohn

I've worked with the Yanks at molesworth and Lakenheath.

bil

Yeah. I remember the news people talking to some US cannon fodder in Iraq, and they made my blood run cold that these people were trusted with anything more dangerous than a burnt out match.

Compared to them the average British squaddie looked like Einstein.

jackytoo

So the developers bought all the contaminated land around the area, built apartments and the British flocked to buy them

Treegod

Tis rather amusing

In a tragically ironic way...