Evacuation Plans In Scandinavia

Press, Volume C, Issue 29651, 23 October 1961, Page 11

Evacuation Plans In Scandinavia

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— -Copyright) COPENHAGEN, October 21. Denmark admitted today that plans had been made to evacuate northern Scandinavia “if things go wrong” when Russia explodes its threatened 50-megaton bomb.

Danish Atomic Energy Commission spokesmen said fall-out could be dangerous if a strong wind was blowing towards Denmark at the time of the explosion. But he emphasised that the commission thought it unlikely that such a wind would be blowing. In Stockholm, the Swedish Government today authorised the Minister of the Interior to take wide powers if the fall-out is dangerous. He can order inhabitants of any area to stay indoors or stay in the area, order evacuation of domestic animals and food, and mobilise all citizens between 18 and 65 to assist in protective measures. Norway will establish a special ‘ radioactivity warning command” in the north-west within the next few days, according to newspaper reports Under a nationwide warning system, air-raid sirens, church bells, and locomotive whistles will sound the alarm in Norway's towns and countryside if large amounts of fall-out aporoach the country. Swiss aircraft are standing by to fly to the stratosphere t> test tor fall-out as soon as news comes of the Soviet 50-megaton bomb blast. The aircraft, from the scientific and meteorological station at Bayerne, near Neuchatei. will fly to a height of 43.500 feet. Health Department officials in Berne said In Japan, down wind from

both Arctic and Siberian testing grounds and the only country ever to have had atom bombs dropped on her in war, a continuous fall-out check has been ordered. Officials said today they feared any further increase in fallout over Japan would produce some effect on the human body. In Germany, a private radio station in Munich broadcasting to Russia claimed this week to have information that radioactive fall-out from Russian nuclear tests in August, 1957, killed a number of people in the Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. It credited the report to somebody whom, it said, was in Kazakhstan at the time, said the British United Press. The report told of cror-s being burned and fields ploughed up. Large numbers of cattle and poultry had be come ill and died, it claimed. A month after the test an epidemic of what was described as “virus influenza” broke out, from which many people had died. 21st Test Russia set off another nuclear bomb on Friday, unleashing a force of several million tons of T.N.T., in the twenty-first announced detonation since Russia resumed atomic testing on September The force of the bomb was described as “several megatons.”