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Japan is facing an escalating nuclear threat as the country's top government spokesman warned that radioactive meltdowns may have occurred in two reactors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
On Saturday, an explosion occurred at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, destroying the roof and the walls of the building of the No. 1 reactor's outer container.
"We are acting on the assumption that there is a high possibility that one has occurred in the No. 1 reactor of the quake-hit plant,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a press conference on Sunday while being asked whether or not meltdowns had occurred. "As for the No. 3 reactor, we are acting on the assumption that it is possible," he said.
This following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan's northeastern Honshu Island on Friday, and a 10-meter tsunami that washed the port in Sendai city. An explosion also occurred at the Cosmo Oil refinery in Chiba Prefecture following the massive quake.
The latest reports of Japan's Sankei Shimbun said that pressure has been successfully released at the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant following the injection of fresh water.
Tokyo Electric Power Co.(TEPOC), operator and owner of Fukushima nuclear plants, said early on Sunday that a sixth reactor at the nuclear power plants had lost its ability to cool the reactor core since Friday's quake.
The No. 3 reactor at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant lost the cooling function after No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the No. 1 plant and No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 at the No. 2 plant had suffered the same trouble.
Four people were injured at the power plant, but radiation levels dropped quickly after surging for a while following the blast.
The top government spokesman warned that 114 people are still staying within a 10-km radius of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plants and 180 000 in the 20-km evacuation zone.
All inhabitants have been evacuated from a 3-km radius of the No. 2 plant, and authorities have begun evacuating more than 30 000 from a 10-km zone around the plant, he added.
Kyodo News reported on Sunday that 19 more people were found to have been exposed to radiation, in addition to the three exposure cases recorded on Saturday.
The Japanese authorities on Sunday upgraded the magnitude of the earthquake which hit the country's northeastern and eastern regions on Friday to 9.0 from 8.8, Kyodo News reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.
So far, the number of people who have died or remained unaccounted for after the quake have exceeded 2 000, the police said. – BuaNews
