February 5, 2002	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 21, 1422

GRAVELINES (France), Feb 4: Three Sri Lankan immigrants were found Monday hidden inside a truck carrying radioactive equipment as the lorry was entering a nuclear power plant in northern France, the plant announced.

Plant security discovered the men when they opened the seals on the lorry’s cargo during a routine check at the entrance to the power station here, the plant said in a statement.

The men, aged between 35 and 40, have since undergone medical checks which revealed that they had not been contaminated by the material, the statement said.

Sources said the three men probably boarded the truck during a stop late Sunday at a motorway service station, the sources reported.

The immigrants, who could only speak their native language, were not carrying any luggage and were travelling without any identification. They have since been released by police.—AFP