2 workers killed in construction of Emirati nuclear plant

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Two workers were killed and three others injured while building the first nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, officials said Sunday.

The incident happened May 12 and was first reported this weekend by a state-owned newspaper in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms. It’s unclear why it took a month for authorities to acknowledge the fatalities.

The men were working in a man-basket hanging from a crane at the time of the incident, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. and the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation said in separate statements. Both also said the incident did not involve any nuclear-related infrastructure at the site.

The men worked for a subcontractor of the Korea Electric Power Corp., the largest energy utility in South Korea, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. said. It did not name or identify the nationalities of the workers involved.

It was the first reported fatalities in the effort to build the Barakah nuclear power plant, which sits in the UAE’s western desert. The plant has been under construction since 2009.

Both Abu Dhabi police and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. continue to investigate the incident.