Fire, radiation at Japanese nuclear plant

Emergency workers were ordered to evacuate Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant due to rising radiation levels on Wednesday, Deutsche Welle reports.

Izvor: Deutsche Welle

Wednesday, 16.03.2011.

09:43

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Emergency workers were ordered to evacuate Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant due to rising radiation levels on Wednesday, Deutsche Welle reports. "Around 10:40 a.m. we ordered the evacuation of workers... due to the rise in [radioactivity] around the gate" of the plant, an official from the country's nuclear safety agency told a televised press conference. Fire, radiation at Japanese nuclear plant However, radiation levels fell again later, and the workers reportedly were allowed back in. A second fire had earlier broken out at the Number 4 reactor, sending low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo. Public broadcaster NHK has since reported that the blaze had been extinguished, but that smoke or steam could still be seen rising from the plant. Experts said the fires may have exposed used fuel rods in a cooling pool at the reactor. Emergency workers had been struggling to contain damage in the facility's reactor cooling functions sustained following Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which has claimed thousands of lives. The Fukushima plant was hit subsequently by four separate explosions. Government spokesman Yukio Edano said radioactive steam may have leaked from the shell of the Number 3 reactor after radiation levels at the plant reached record levels overnight. A view of the Fukushima plant (Beta/AP)

Fire, radiation at Japanese nuclear plant

However, radiation levels fell again later, and the workers reportedly were allowed back in.

A second fire had earlier broken out at the Number 4 reactor, sending low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo. Public broadcaster NHK has since reported that the blaze had been extinguished, but that smoke or steam could still be seen rising from the plant.

Experts said the fires may have exposed used fuel rods in a cooling pool at the reactor.

Emergency workers had been struggling to contain damage in the facility's reactor cooling functions sustained following Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which has claimed thousands of lives. The Fukushima plant was hit subsequently by four separate explosions.

Government spokesman Yukio Edano said radioactive steam may have leaked from the shell of the Number 3 reactor after radiation levels at the plant reached record levels overnight.

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