BENTON COUNTY, WASHINGTON — Hundreds of workers were evacuated from one of the most radioactive sites in America on Tuesday, when a hole collapsed in a tunnel used to store nuclear waste.
The Hanford Site in Washington State covers an area of 586 square miles, which is about half the size of Rhode Island.
The collapse occurred in an area where two tunnels used to store radioactive materials join together, the Washington Post reported. The hole is around 20 feet long.
The tunnels hold contaminated train cars and highly radioactive waste.
Vibrations from nearby road work may have caused the tunnel to cave in, an unnamed source told NBC affiliate KING.
Emergency responders were using a robot to take video and survey the damage.
There was no initial indication that radiation had leaked from the area, according to Energy Department officials.
The last nuclear reactor to be shut down at the Hanford Site was decommissioned in 1987.
