Denmark: New probe into US nuclear bomber's 1968 Greenland crash

Jan 7, 2009, 19:55 GMT

Copenhagen - Danish politicians Wednesday approved a new probe into the circumstances surrounding a US Air Force B-52 bomber, armed with nuclear bombs, that crashed in 1968 off northern Greenland.

One of the plane's four nuclear bombs reportedly went missing, and has never been found. Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller said the probe would be 'comprehensive', Danish news agency Ritzau reported.

Calls for a renewed probe were fuelled by a recent documentary aired by the BBC that unveiled previously classified documents, and new information about the clean-up after the crash.

The Thule Air Base in northern Greenland played a key role for the United States during the Cold War. US Air Force B-52s used the base and were at times airborne round the clock.

The Danish Institute for International Studies was commissioned to review the documents, some 2,000 pages in all.

Health Minister Jakob Axel Nielsen was also to investigate if the bomb posed a radiation risk, according to members of the Danish parliament committee that handles relations with Greenland.

Greenland has been ruled by Denmark since the 18th century. The island later became a province of Denmark, before being granted home rule in 1979.

Last year, Greenland voted for enhanced home rule in a referendum although Denmark was to continue to handle foreign affairs and defence issues.