The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) today said an expert team probing the cause of the fire mishap at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai last week, which left two researchers dead, would soon be able to identify the "scientific reason" that caused the accident.
All possibilities, including electrical short circuit were being analysed, AEC Chairman Sreekumar Banerjee told reporters on the sidelines of 20th Annual Conference of the Indian Nuclear Society here.
"Experts with great knowledge in fire safety and potential are examining the cause of the accident. I hope they will be soon able to identify the scientific reason," he said.
The probe by the team, besides investigation by police and forensic experts, was being "done in great detail", he said, adding that it was also being ascertained as to what and how much of chemicals could enter the lab.
The lab had two spectrometres and some chemicals for preparatory work, but "there was no large inventory of chemicals or gas or hydrogen cylinders or inflammables" that could have caused the fire, he said.
Specialists were trying to build up a scientific explanation on how the fire was "introduced", Banerjee, who was present at BARC on the day of the mishap, said.
He said it is an "unsolved question before us" why the two victims could not flee the area when the fire broke out even though "the room was not closed."
Asked whether a short circuit could have caused the fire, Banerjee said the possibility has not been excluded. The victims were "good researchers" and their death was unfortunate, he said.
On the recent Kaiga power plant incident where tritiated water mixed in a water cooler made some employees sick, he said they were assisting in probing the "criminal act".
"Somebody has pushed it deliberately, (which) is a criminal act of a miscreant. While the place is not accessible, we are seeing the entry point (as part of the probe). There were a number of people on the corridor and we have to find out the culprit from among them which is not an easy job," he said.
On the delay in the Koodankulam power plant project in Tamil Nadu, Banerjee said talks were on at the highest level to ensure that there was no delay in delivery of components and installation for the 1,000 MW Russia-collaborated project.
With the arrival of some required cables later this month, the reactor is expected to go critical by mid-2010, he said.
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