NAKHODKA, Russia — Russian customs officials in the far eastern port of Nakhodka say seven cars imported from Japan show an increased level of radiation, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports.
Nakhodka customs spokeswoman Yuliya Tislenko told journalists today that the radiation level in close proximity to the cars is up to seven times higher than the permitted maximum.
The car carrier truck and the cars have been isolated while local officials decide what to do with them.
Forty-nine cars shipped earlier from Japan to the Russian port of Vladivostok were similarly reported to be emitting high levels of radiation. The radiation level of 23 cars later fell to normal, while the remaining 26 were washed and decontaminated.
Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant has been leaking radiation since it was damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
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