Grayish smoke billowing from quake hit Japanese reactor

Tokyo/Fukushima, Mar 21: Workers attempting to salvage Japan's tsunami hit Fukushima nuclear reactor had to be evacuated after smoke was seen billowing in a latest in a series of troubles to hit the moves to stabilise the radiation leaking plant.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said slow but "steady progress" is being made in tackling the brewing crisis at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant.

"Grayish smoke was seen coming out from a building that houses the No.3 reactor of the troubled atomic unit and Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the unit said that workers had been "temporarily" asked to evacuate.

Kan also told a Cabinet-level emergency disaster headquarters meeting held at his office that he will gear up for reconstruction of the eastern Japan areas pummeled by the Mar 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, the Kyodo reported.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the Mar 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern and eastern Japan and the number of those reported missing touched to near 22,000 as of today, the National Police Agency said, Kyodo reported.

After the smoke was spotted at the southeast of the building around 3:55 p.m., TEPCO said it had temporarily evacuated its workers from the site as it assessed the situation. The amount of smoke later decreased, TEPCO added.

Japan will monitor radiation levels in the Pacific Ocean near the Fukushima plant, where firefighters have been using seawater to cool reactor units, officials said.

Following a magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami on March 11, cooling functions of the No. 3 reactor were lost and its core is believed to have partially melted.

At present, coolant water is pumped into the reactor and a pool for spent nuclear fuel. The roof and upper walls of the building that houses the No. 3 reactor were blown off by a hydrogen explosion last week.

On Sunday, pressure in the No. 3 reactor's containment vessel temporarily rose, but it later stabilized.

The number of deaths reported in a total of 12 prefectures came to 8,649, while people reported by their relatives to be missing climbed to 13,262 in six prefectures.

Police have identified about 4,080 bodies, including 2,990 returned to their families, the agency said.

A total of about 340,000 evacuees, including those who fled from the vicinity of the troubled nuclear reactors in Fukushima Prefecture, are now staying at some 2,070 shelters set up by 16 prefectures. .

PTI

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Japan: Another Nuke reactor loses coolant; meltdown on cards

Tokyo, Mar 13: Japan confronted more threats as another nuclear reactor in Fukushima reportedly lost its coolant. Despite the country's immense effort to cease meltdown, the worst effect soon may occur, sources informed.

Japanese news agency Kyodo on Sunday, Mar 13 reported that The cooling system had stopped working in a sixth reactor.

Kyodo agency also reported that radiation levels have risen above the safety limit around Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) nuclear plant hit by a massive earthquake and the company has informed the government of an "emergency situation".

After several tests, 18 people reportedly were found poisned by the radiation leak and the total death toll is estimated to cross 1,800.

Japan ordered to evacuate almost 170,000 people from the area near the damaged nuclear power plant, informed the UN nuclear watchdog. People were ordered out of a 20-kilometre radius surrounding the Fukushima, sources reported.

Earlier reports showed that the explosion was not of the reactors, but occurred in the plant. The outer wall of the building holding the first reactor was blown off in the impact.

Authorities informed that if the cooling system remains inoperative for many hours, the water will eventually boil away, and the fuel will begin to melt.

However, Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton informed, "We just had our Air Force assets in Japan transport some really important coolant to one of the nuclear plants." Confirming Clinton's statement, Presindent Barack Obama also earlier claimed, "So Air Force planes were able to deliver that. So we're really deeply involved in trying to do as much as we can on behalf of the Japanese and on behalf of US citizens."

The crisis at the aging plant confronted Japan with its worst nuclear accident and perhaps the biggest mishap at nuclear plant since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

OneIndia News

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