Hanford nuclear site tunnel collapse leads to mass evacuation, “radiological contamination” & FAA air space ban

A tunnel used to shuttle hot fuel rods around the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Seattle, WA has suffered a catastrophic structural failure followed by a partial collapse of about 400 square feet of its roof. The tunnel is widely reported as being “full of highly contaminated materials,” according to local news channel King 5. For many years, the Hanford facility manufactured plutonium-239 for building nuclear weapons. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,000 years.