Fresh radiation source found in Delhi, cops to scan area (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI - Nearly a week after the first source of radiation was found in a scrap market of west Delhi’s Mayapuri area, another Cobalt 60 source was found and isolated, officials said Wednesday, adding that more area would be scanned in the coming days.

The fresh source containing radioactive Cobalt 60 was found when the police scanned the area Tuesday.

“The source was discovered and isolated by expert teams. The area is secure and there was no need to cordon off the area,” Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (west Delhi) Sharad Aggarwal said the fresh source was found 400 metres from the shop where it was detected earlier. It could not be traced earlier. It was only found when further searches were carried out”.

He said the new source was “mild and smaller in size”. Police checked the area again after a seventh victim exposed to radiation was hospitalised a day earlier.

Aggarwal said the scan and search for radioactive Cobalt 60 would continue for the next few days.

It is impossible to detect radioactive material with naked eyes. Only scientists with special equipment can locate it. It will take days to clear the market, as it is like finding a needle in a hay stack, he told IANS.

Asked about the source of the material, Aggarwal said the investigation is not progressing due to various reasons.

People in the market do not have any idea about the source. They say scrap comes from all around Delhi and is being sold on a daily basis. Also we have not been able to speak to the injured, he said.

We are also waiting for some forensic reports. It will help in understanding the purpose and place where such materials are being used. It may have come from outside India, but it’s all speculations, he added.

Sources in the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said material found Tuesday evening was different than the initial Cobalt 60. This was of a different variety with difference in shape and size.

We are now planning to comb the entire scrapyard to make sure no radiation causing material is left, said a NDMA official.

Meanwhile, the radiation victims in a hospital here will be discharged in the next few days, doctors said.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical superintendent D.K. Sharma said the seventh victim and four others exposed to Cobalt 60 were improving and will be discharged in the next three days from hospital. However, two people continue to be in critical condition.

“Babulal, the seventh victim of radiation exposure, is improving. His blood counts are normal. He was admitted with complaints of nausea and headache. Now, he seems to be stable. He will be under observation for the next two days and will be discharged by April 17,” Sharma told IANS.

Five victims - Gaurav, Rajendra Prasad, Ramjee Yadav, Ram Kalap and Himanshu Jain - were admitted to the AIIMS last week.

“The five victims are recouping in our hospital. Rajendra is still serious, he is showing less improvement. The health condition of the other four radiation victims is improving and they will be discharged in two days,” he said.

Scrap metal dealer Deepak Jain, who turned black after he touched the radioactive source, is in critical condition. He is admitted to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.