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The panic followed the emergence of pictures showing a cloud of vapour pouring from Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, some 50 miles from St Petersburg.
The authorities insisted that the was no radioactive leakage after a "defect" which caused a steam emission from the turbine section of the station - the most westerly in Russia - but people did not believe the "no danger" claim.
Radio Svoboda reported that in the wake of the incident on Friday locals in Sosnovy Bor started withdrawing money from their credit cards.
They said locals were in panic mode despite statements from officials that the radiation level was normal.
People had more trust in the ecologists who prepared their own statement.
They confirmed the radiation level in Sosnovy Bor was normal but said wind carried the stream away from the city towards the Gulf of Finland.
They said that didn"t mean the stream was not radioactive.
One local said: "Everyone got very worried and rushed to get iodine."
This is seen as a protection against radiation poisoning.
There were traffic jams as residents left the area and headed for St Petersburg.
Oleg Bodrov, chairman of "Green Wolrd" ecological group said people were right not to trust denials from the authorities, with many people recalling that Soviet officials turned a blind eye to the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in 1986.
He said: "They know well that the officials" first task is to say all is normal but not to report about danger, even if there is one.
"All those who understand a bit about nuclear energy know that it was an attempt to mistake the wish for the reality.
"In this reactor the water turns into vapour which goes to the turbine.
"And this vapour is surely radioactive.
"This time we were lucky, the reactor was immediately stopped, but some vapour still appeared and because the turbine was stopped it had to go somewhere.
"It was expelled via the tubes.
"Fortunately, the wind had an unusual direction for this region - it was south-south-east and the vapour has gone to the Finnish Gulf, towards Vyborg town."
This was also in the direction of Finland.
Bodrov called for medical checks for staff at the power plant.
Interfax reported that a special commission was working at the nuclear station aiming to find out the reasons for the emission.
One woman - an employee of the station - was taken to the hospital with high blood pressure attack.
The incident led to a shut down of the second power unit at the station.
After the reactor shutdown "the steam leak significantly dropped", reported nuclear.ru website.
An area of 40 square metres was "completely isolated".
Plant manager Vladimir Pereguda said: "The situation at the plant is calm. There are no reasons for evacuation of the plant personnel and residents of Sosnovy Bor."
He said the reactor had been halted "in a subcritical state".
The reactor was being cooled "in order to correct a defect".
Readings at the plant in the days after the incident show safe levels of radiation.
The plant was completed in 1973, and had an expected 30 year life cycle.
It suffered shutdowns or safety alerts in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/628592/Chaos-Russians-flee-Chernobyl-style-plant-radioactive-leak
