Fearing impact from a possible accident from an aged nuclear power plant in neighboring Armenia, residents of a border village held a drill on Wednesday coordinated by the local governorate.
As part of the drill, medical rescue teams and gendarme troops evacuated residents of Orta Alican, one of eight villages of the eastern province of Iğdır, which are located in close proximity of Metsamor. It is the first comprehensive drill of its kind in the region against the danger the plant poses.
"Survivors" of the nuclear accident were taken to a tent camp set up in central Iğdır by crews and they were "decontaminated." Iğdır Gov. Enver Ünlü said it was their responsibility to conduct such a drill against "a disaster that might happen."
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Metsamor is located some 16 kilometers away from central Iğdır and is Armenia's only nuclear power plant and produces more than a third of the country's electricity. The European Union has repeatedly called on Armenia to shut down the aging plant, citing security concerns. Instead, Armenia decided to extend the plant's operations until 2026.
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