Sendai, Japan March 13 - Thousands of Japanese fled the vicinity of an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant after a radiation leak and authorities faced a fresh threat on Sunday with the failure of the cooling system in a second reactor.
Operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said it was preparing to vent steam to relieve pressure in the No.3 reactor at the plant 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo — which would release a small amount of radiation — following an explosion and leak on Saturday from the facility's No. 1 reactor.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said early Sunday that the cooling system malfunctioned at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The agency said it was informed of the emergency by Tokyo Electric, the utility which runs the plant.
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As strong aftershocks continued to shake Japan's main island, the desperate search pressed on for survivors from Friday massive earthquake and tsunami and the death toll was expected to rise.
Thousands spent another freezing night huddled over heaters in emergency shelters along the northeastern coast, a scene of devastation after the 8.9 magnitude quake sent a 10-metre (33-foot) wave surging through towns and cities in the Miyagi region.
“It's hard to even imagine the scale of it,” a resident said. “I came to Miyagi during the last earthquake as well to help, but once there is water involved, it becomes a whole different story. It's hard to think about.”
Japan's top government spokesman says a partial meltdown is likely under way at second reactor affected by Friday's massive earthquake.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday that radiation at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima briefly rose above legal limits, but it has since declined significantly.
Three reactors at the plant lost their cooling functions in the aftermath of quake and tsunami because of a power outage.
Some 170,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the plant.The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of Tokyo.
Japan's top government spokesman is warning of a fresh threat of explosion from a nuclear unit at a power plant the country's earthquake-ravaged northeast.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday that a hydrogen explosion could occur at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex. That would follow a blast the day before at the same power plant as operators attempted to prevent a nuclear meltdown of another unit by injecting sea water into it.More than 170,000 people were evacuated as a precaution, though Edano said the radioactivity released so far into the environment is so small it does not pose any threat to human health. AP
