Sunday, March 13, 2011

Japan earthquake: Danger of nuclear disaster after Fukushima plant failure?



(Reuters) - Japan confronted devastation along its northeastern coast on Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people.

The number of individuals exposed to radiation from the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan could reach as high as 160, an official of Japan's nuclear safety agency said on Sunday.




Nine individuals had already shown possible exposure to radiation from the plant, based on information from tests by municipal authorities and other sources, and estimates from the authorities suggested the figure could rise as high as 70 to 160, the official from the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference.





The No. 1 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan released radiation after a powerful earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan on Friday left it with a crippled cooling system and the operator was forced to release pressure that had built up in the reactor.