Notable case, Palomares (Cuevas del Almanzora), Andalucía (Almería), Spain
Palomares
On 17 January 1966 a US B-52 bomber collided with its tanker over the Almería coast. Two of the four thermonuclear bombs it carried went off on the ground with their conventional charge only, scattering plutonium over fields and houses.
Contaminants
Status
Contained
In 2015 Spain and the United States signed an accord to negotiate removal of the contaminated soil and its disposal in the US; as of 2025, according to Wikipedia, contaminated land remains and the clean-up has not been completed.
Story
The collision happened at about 10:30 at some 9,400 metres during refuelling. Three B28 bombs fell on land near Palomares and one in the sea. In two of those that fell on land the conventional explosive detonated on impact: there was no nuclear reaction, but the plutonium was spread by a 30-knot wind.
The United States removed the most contaminated soil: about 1,750 tons were shipped to the US. From 2004 new surveys showed that contamination was still significant in some areas; in 2006 CIEMAT found higher-than-normal radioactivity in snails and in 2008 it located two trenches, 2,000 m³ in all, holding contaminated earth. Some plots have been expropriated.
Timeline
- 196617 January: the accident; in the following months the most contaminated soil is removed.
- 2004New studies find significant contamination; first expropriations.
- 2008CIEMAT locates two trenches with 2,000 m³ of contaminated earth.
- 2015Spain–US accord on removing the contaminated soil.
Health
According to Wikipedia no health problems have emerged in the local population, followed for decades; among the US personnel used in the clean-up, however, long-term cancers and other illnesses have been reported.
Remediation
- 1966excavationRemoval of about 1,750 tons of soil, shipped to the United States.
- 2004access restrictionExpropriation of some plots.
Nearby
Sources
- 1966 Palomares B-52 crash, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.