Class-action lawsuit sought over 1966 Spain H-bombs accident

Veterans who said they responded to an accident in 1966 involving U.S. hydrogen bombs in Spain, then became ill from radiation exposure asked a federal appeals court Monday to allow a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

On Jan. 17, 1966, a U.S. B-52 bomber and a refueling plane crashed into each other near the village of Palomares, killing seven of 11 crew members. The collision resulted in the release of four U.S. hydrogen bombs. None of the bombs exploded, but plutonium-filled detonators went off, scattering 7 pounds of highly radioactive plutonium 239 across the landscape.