An emergency has been declared after radiation was detected in a major Russian city. Authorities in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk have declared a state of emergency in an area where a “radiation source” was found, according to TASS news agency.

It said on Friday that elevated radiation levels were detected near a power pylon about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from residential buildings.

The state of emergency will last for three days while law enforcement agencies conduct their investigations into the source of the leak.

A video has emerged on social media channels, showing nuclear specialists working in the area.

A man wearing a nuclear protective mask can be seen in darkness with a radiation reader that quickly rises as he walks over a ‘waste dump’.

His reader sounds an alarm at 0.45 microsieverts and the highest reading visible on screen is 5.99.

Yet on the video the man says there was a reading of 20, enough potentially to increase cancer risk, damage DNA, cause foetal damage, and threaten the health of children.

Incredibly the radiation leak was first reported about one week ago by a member of the public, according to reports.

A young person discovered the leak on March 28 and reported it to the Russian Special Services.

However, it was only today that the state of emergency was declared.

During the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, authorities tried to hush up the incident for days following the explosion at the reactor, costing thousands of people their lives.

Andrey Kolchin, head civil defence in the city, said: “A source of increased radiation levels was discovered….the area was cordoned.

“It was decided to introduce a state of emergency in Khabarovsk to carry out work faster.”

Khabarovsk is located close to the border with China and has a population of 630,000.

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