'No risk' in Benin after truck with chemical for nuclear production crashes

Paris (AFP) - The French nuclear group Areva said Tuesday a truck carrying a chemical used in the uranium fuel process had tipped over in Benin, but there was "no risk" of contamination.

The accident occurred in the West African country on Sunday near Dassa, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Cotonou.

The truck was carrying uranate, an oxide used in the process to make nuclear fuel. The chemical has "very low radioactivity", a spokeswoman for Areva told AFP.

A security cordon was set up at the site, and "it was quickly determined that there was no radioactive or chemical threat from the accident, the container stayed attached to the trailer without spilling the cargo", she said.

The truck was set upright on Tuesday morning and was evacuated from the site in the afternoon, and nobody was injured.

"There is no risk for the population or the environment," the spokeswoman said.