Explosion closes Kazakhstan's Soviet-era atom test site for good

The blast destroyed the last of the infrastructure for atomic testing in Kazakhstan

KURCHATOV, Kazakhstan (Reuters) -- A controlled weekend explosion which made the vast Kazakh steppe shake has closed for good what was the world's largest nuclear test range at Semipalatinsk.

The Soviet-era site, where more than 500 nuclear explosions were conducted during the Cold War years between 1949 and 1989, was closed on Saturday after the last of 181 underground tunnels at the complex collapsed in the explosion.

U.S Deputy Defense Secretary Susan Koch said the project, conducted jointly with the United States, had not only closed the test complex but also had opened the way to peaceful scientific work at the site.

"This is...the largest such test site to be closed and the certainly the only one to be closed through cooperative efforts," Koch told Reuters.

AUDIO U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Richard Jones comments on why the Omega-3 blast was useful 281k/12 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

"We are very happy as this has been a model of cooperation, it has worked smoothly and quickly and is a tribute to the... scientists who realize the potential use of the tests for CTBT."

The blast, termed the Omega-3 calibration experiment, destroyed the last infrastructure for atomic testing in Kazakhstan, a signatory to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty which once had the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal.

The blast was conducted at tunnel 160, part of the warren of passages under the 18,000 square meter (4.5-acre) grounds.

The explosion, which sent a cloud of dust over the steppe and made the earth shake, was part of a project involving the U.S. Defense Department and the Kazakh National Nuclear Center.

It was funded by the Defense Department's Cooperative Threat Reduction Program since Kazakhstan in 1993 signed a treaty to eliminate all nuclear weapons infrastructure.

The programme allotted $172 million in the early 1990s to support disarmament in Kazakhstan. The efforts are monitored from the town of Kurchatov, home to the country's nuclear center and about 100 km (60 miles) from the test range.

Koch said Kazakhstan was an model to aspiring nuclear powers.

"This is an example of commitment to arms reduction and non- proliferation...a successful nation without nuclear weapons," she said. "Its security is enhanced by being non-nuclear."

A news release said data from the calibration experiment would help scientists to identify nuclear tests more precisely and distinguish them from earthquakes.

But the test site, at the Degelen mountains, 150 km (90 miles) from Semipalatinsk town, carries a legacy of death and disease. A decade after the last test, health problems are rife.

Many babies born in the region have congenital deformities, while cancer, mental illness and muscular dystrophy are common.

A United Nations study in 1998 said agriculture and land systems had been severely contaminated by radioactive elements and called for international aid to clean up the mess.

Koch commented on the project to close the nuclear site ( 417 K/19 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Yury Cherednin, the head of Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Center, said blocking the tunnels was a key step for safety.

"First, the tunnels are now closed to people and animals," he told Reuters. "Second, radioactive contaminated water can no longer come out to surface so the entire area will be cleaner."

Kazakhstan's huge territory was often used in Soviet times for manufacturing or testing lethal arms. The town of Stepnogorsk was used to produce biological weapons such as anthrax, usually tested in the receding Aral Sea.

Cherednin said U.S. support now allowed Kazakh scientists to participate in international and commercial projects.

"It was not easy for specialists to switch to new projects," he said. "But on the positive side, we have moral satisfaction that never again will our land be used for nuclear tests."

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Kazakh offshore consortium announces oil discovery
July 24, 2000
Kazakh opposition figure held in Rome
July 14, 2000
NATO chief Robertson begins Central Asia trip
July 3, 2000
Report: FBI probing alleged oil payment scheme in Kazakhstan
July 2, 2000
Kazakh leader scores lifetime powers
June 27, 2000
Kazakstan will fund 500 migrants this year
June 20, 2000

U.S. Department of Defense
Kazakhstan
CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Kazakhstan

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.