Nuclear Meltdown

China did not turn away Japanese cargo plane

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-24 08:48

DALIAN, Liaoning - A Northeast China port did not turn away a Japanese cargo plane over radiation concerns and the aircraft left on its own, provincial authorities said Wednesday.

Earlier media reports said a Japanese cargo plane of All Nippon Airways arrived at Dalian, a port city in Northeast China's Liaoning province, on March 16 from an airport near Tokyo. But it was denied entry due to excessive radiation detected from its cargo.

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A spokesman with Liaoning Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said the plane insisted to leave because of a tight schedule while the customs were carrying out standard procedures involving radioactive goods.

Dalian Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau reported to higher authorities after detecting excessive radiation from the container. The bureau was waiting for further notice when the plane took flight, the spokesman said.

The plane left at 5:30 pm, three hours after it landed Dalian.

The spokesman said the container's radiation level was measured at 2.2 micro sievert per hour, or 22 times higher than normal.

According to International Atomic Energy Agency regulations, customs authorities are entitled to take proper actions on goods with radiation levels two times higher than normal, he added.