London: Norway has told its citizens to “dust off” their Cold War bunkers and stock medicines in case of a radiation fallout from Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant, Daily Mail reported.
Oslo’s Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen warned citizens a nuclear disaster could see radioactive materials drift over Norway “if the wind goes in this direction”.
He said civilians would be given 72 hours notice to prepare their bunkers and that “if they are using them for storage now they need to make a plan for taking things out”.
Enoksen also urged citizens to stockpile radiation medicines for children and suggested civilians should store a three-day supply of thyroid-blocking medicine Jodix in each home in case of a shutdown during a nuclear disaster.
The minister said that the warnings were not related to fears of nuclear war but “linked to the nuclear power plants in Ukraine and the accidents we have seen.”
“Ukraine has the most production of nuclear power in Europe and if an accident happens, as with Chernobyl, we will all in western Europe be affected by that if the wind goes in this direction,” he said, The Times, UK reported.
It comes amid high-level discussions to reimpose Cold War-era building regulations making underground bunkers a requirement for civilian structures, such as hotels, and amid talks about whether some underground shelters needed upgrading.
IANS