Turkey’s unfinished Akkuyu nuclear plant not damaged by quake, Rosatom official says

Turkey’s Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently under construction, was not damaged by a major earthquake that struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, said an official from the Russian company building the plant.

“Earth tremors of about magnitude 3 were felt here… but our specialists have not revealed any damage to building structures, cranes and equipment,” said Anastasia Zoteeva from Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom.

“Nevertheless, we are carrying out extensive diagnostic measures to make sure that construction and installation operations can continue safely,” the RIA news agency quoted her as saying.

More than 500 people were killed and thousands injured in Monday’s earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.8 and toppled buildings across parts of Turkey and northwest Syria. [Reuters]