Radiation from Ashdod port container causes scare

Hazardous material teams rushed to the Ashdod port on Monday after workers detected radioactive radiation coming from a shipping container and briefly evacuated workers.

Workers were cleared away from the area around the container as three hazardous material teams from the Ashdod firestation moved in to check the contents.

The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the container moved to an isolated area in the port, where experts planned to investigate the source of the radiation.

After conducting tests, safety officials declared the container safe and allowed the port to return to normal operations.

According to a report from Channel 2, the container had arrived from China and experts from the Israel Atomic Energy Committee were also on the scene.

Located 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Tel Aviv, the port of Ashdod is one of Israel’s three main sea terminals, along with those in Eilat and Haifa.