Energy chief says hole has been filled at nuclear-waste site

SPOKANE, Wash. -- A hole that was discovered this week on top of a nuclear-waste storage tunnel has been plugged with dirt, ending an emergency situation at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said Thursday.

The hole was discovered Tuesday at the former nuclear-weapons production complex, prompting the evacuation of some workers and forcing thousands of others to shelter in place for a few hours.

Perry announced the 400-square-foot partial collapse of the tunnel roof had been filled by 53 truckloads of dirt delivered by workers in protective gear at the highly radioactive site.

"This was accomplished swiftly and safely to help prevent any further complications," Perry said in a news release. "Our next step is to identify and implement longer-term measures to further reduce risks."

The Energy Department has said no workers were injured in the incident, and no radiation was released to the environment.

The state of emergency ended shortly before midnight, and most of the 9,000 workers at the site were told to report to work as usual on Thursday.

Access to the area where the tunnel roof collapsed will continue to be restricted, however, the agency said.

Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons, and the site in south central Washington state is engaged in cleaning up the nation's largest collection of radioactive waste. That work is expected to take until 2060 and cost an additional $100 billion.