The nuclear bombs that fell in Spain

It was in 1966. The remote Spanish town of Palomares was the protagonist. There, from the sky, they were beaten the nuclear bombs that fell in Spain. They did not explode, of course. How did it happen? This terrifying situation occurred due to an American operation called Chrome Dome. In the sixties, the US developed a project to deter its rival during the Cold War, the Soviet Union, to launch a preventive attack. A B-52 bomber patrol with nuclear weapons continuously furrowed the heavens.

Tracking the pumps

One of these airplanes exploded by accident over Spain, on January 17, 1966. He was refueling of fuel in full flight. Some crew managed to jump in parachute. The plane, shattered, dropped four bombs. They fell on the people of Palomares. The bomber’s eyelets were not armed. They had integrated safeguards to avoid an atomic reaction in involuntary chain. But the radioactive material of two did explode when falling. They generated huge craters and spread radioactive and highly toxic plutonium powder along several hundred hectares. Remains of flame aircraft also covered the Spanish people.

Trucks with American troops traveled immediately from nearby bases. Palomares Beach became based for about 700 American aviators and scientists. They tried urgently to contain any radioactive pollution. They had already recovered three bombs. The fourth was missing, who fell into the sea.

The search quickly moved to the Mediterranean Sea, with the American Navy mobilizing a flotilla of more than 30 ships. They had dragamines and submersible to track the seabed. The exploration of oceanic background was technically complex and a very slow process. After weeks of exhaustive search, a new deep diving ship, the Alvin, finally located the missing pump in an underwater pit.

Damage

Almost four months after its loss, the eyelet was finally safe and returned to American hands. The US made the unusual decision to show the bomb to the international press. They thought it was the only way to confirm that the bomb had recovered.

The nuclear bombs that fell in Spain seriously harmed the region. Almost six decades later, the incident still projects a long shadow on the Almeria region. The American cleaning operation managed to overlook some contaminated areas. USA and Spain agreed to finance annual health controls for Palomares residents. And monitor the soil, water, air and local crops. About 40 hectares of contaminated land in popcorn are entered.