Freight wagon with nuclear waste derails at depot near Paris, no leak

Reuters
A train convoy of CASTOR containers, which carry radioactive nuclear waste, is seen during a technical stop in Remilly, near Metz, in this file photo taken November 24, 2011. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File

PARIS (Reuters) - A rail freight wagon carrying nuclear waste derailed at a depot in Drancy, 3 km (2 miles) northeast of Paris on Monday, the mayor of the town said. There was no leakage of nuclear waste, Jean-Christophe Lagarde said by telephone. "Today at 1605 (1505 GMT), a freight car transporting radioactive material derailed in Drancy station," said the mayor, who is also a member of parliament for the French centrist UDI party. About 4,000 freight wagons carrying radioactive or chemical waste pass through the station each year, Lagarde said, calling the incident "intolerable". France's "Europe Ecologie Les Verts" (EELV) Green party called for an end to the transportation of radioactive waste through urban areas and busy stations following the incident. "The slightest accident can have catastrophic effects," the EELV party said in a statement. "All (nuclear waste) transport is risky and exposes populations to unnecessary danger." (Reporting by Marion Douet; Writing by James Regan, editing by David Evans)