Scrap metal thieves raid nuclear lighthouse

Four jobless Russians in search of scrap metal dismantled generators at a nuclear-powered lighthouse in Russia’s Far North, exposing themselves to dangerous doses of radiation.

Viktor Kozlov, an adviser on nuclear safety in Kandalaksha, a port on the White Sea, said the men removed the lead covers on the generators that power the lighthouse.

He said they intended to sell the metal for scrap.

Two of the men were admitted to hospital with radiation sickness, while another two are in jail.

They had hoped to make £70 each from the sale of the lead.

Hospital doctor Vera Lisovskaya said the two injured men had burned their hands and eyes during the theft.

Kozlov said the dismantled lighthouse presented no danger to the environment or to people outside its immediate vicinity.

However, roads leading to the lighthouse were blocked off.

Scavenging for nonferrous metals is a widespread and dangerous practice in Russia, with railroads, electric and telephone cables and public monuments all frequent targets.

The country’s energy monopoly, UES, says hundreds of thieves are electrocuted each year.