Astral Mining Confirms Mothball Of RP4 Facility After Death Toll Announcement

ALENTENE - Astral Mining have released a statement this afternoon, confirming rumors that the RP4 Hemorphite Processing Facility which became the site of a massive Kyonoke Plague Outbreak in February will not return to service.

In a rare appearance by Dr. Carrelle Orsere, the corporation's usually reclusive Chief Executive, it was confirmed that the platform, which is located in the Federal system of Postouvin, has now been cleared of all survivors of the Kyonoke outbreak, and that clean-up and second level decontamination of the massive facility has begun.

Speaking of the extent of the outbreak, Dr. Orsere expressed her sadness on hearing that in some instances, "entire families had succumbed to the plague, given that it is commonplace for long term employees stationed on such facilities to live on board and move their immediate families there."

After formally revealing the final death toll on board the platform to be a total of 7,209,461 souls, Dr. Ostere spoke further regarding the RP4 platform, confirming that it will be "mothballed after investigations into the outbreak have concluded, and will be donated to the Kyonoke Memorial Research Center, to be dedicated as a memorial to all those lost and serve as a HAZMAT training facility to be used by the H4-RP4 Research Center in its new role."

It is expected that the Federal Intelligence Office's Special Department of Internal Investigation, also known as the Black Eagles, will descend on the site to further investigate the cause of the outbreak. Part of this process is believed to be the extraction of vital security data backups from the platform's security mainframe once the clean-up, which is expected to take at least four weeks, has concluded.

During the press conference, personnel from Poteque Pharmaceuticals were also available to answer questions regarding survivors from the quarantine zone, confirming reports among the press that many of the 960,000 survivors who were working on board have been allowed to depart from the H4-RP4 facility, after being screened and confirmed as clear of Kyonoke infection.

A number of survivors are however known to have been detained by the Federal Intelligence Office for further questioning in relation to the outbreak, with almost half a million more still remaining in recovery on board the H4-RP4 Inquest Center.

The Scope will continue to report on the investigation into the cause of the outbreak as further information becomes available.