Clashes as nuclear waste train nears German dump

07/11/10 15:37 CET

world news

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Violence has erupted as environmental activists make a last-ditch bid to block a train carrying nuclear waste to a storage site in Germany.

Demonstrators are determined to do all they can to prevent the progress of what some have dubbed the most radioactive shipment in history.

A German police spokesman said some 250 protesters had tried to damage the railway track near the waste dump to halt the train. Clashes with police turned a forested area nearby into a war zone.

Delayed by repeated protests along its route from France, the train made a scheduled stop near Hanover before resuming its journey.

Anti-nuclear feelings are strong in Germany amid opposition to the government’s decision to extend the lifespan of the nation’s atomic power plants.

The 123 tonnes of reprocessed waste are being returned to the country in a train that set off from Normandy on Friday, bound for the northern German town of Gorleben later today.

With lorries transporting the shipment to the site on the final leg of its voyage, further disruption is expected.

More about: Blockade, Germany, Nuclear Energy

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