Chinese authorities have implemented an emergency nuclear safety plan following the giant quake in Sichuan province, French nuclear experts disclosed Friday.

The French experts of the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) said several nuclear installations not used for electricity generation were located in the south-western province at the epicentre of the quake.

These included a manufacturing site for nuclear weapons which handles unstable chemical elements found in tritium, plutonium and uranium, as well as a nuclear reactor.

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The IRSN said that given the effects of Monday's 7.9-magnitude quake, "it is not possible at this stage to exclude damage to these installations."

However, no radioactive leaks had yet been found, the Paris-based monitoring organisation said, citing memos from China's National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA).

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