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That Time We Bombed Spain
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A ROUTINE REFUELING OPERATION WENT
HORRIBLY WRONG WHEN A B-52 CRASHED OVER A SMALL SPANISH FISHING VILLAGE,
DROPPING FOUR NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND CONTAMINATING OVER A THOUSAND TONS OF EARTH.
On January 17, 1966, a B-52
carrying four nuclear weapons collided
with a tanker during a routine midair refueling operation over
Palomares, Spain, causing both planes to crash. The conventional explosives in
two of the bombs detonated on impact. While the nuclear warheads were not
triggered, the explosions dispersed plutonium—which is both radioactive and
toxic—throughout the area.
Another bomb landed in a
riverbed, but did not detonate and was recovered.
The fourth bomb landed in the
Mediterranean, taking nearly three months and the most expensive salvage
operation in US history to locate and recover. A local fisherman involved in
the search subsequently tried to claim salvage rights to the bomb, but settled
with the Air Force out of court.
Although the US removed more
than 1,400 tons of contaminated soil and vegetation from the crash site,
tests continue to show lingering contamination. In October
2015, Secretary of State John Kerry signed an agreement with Spain to further
restore the site.
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