Saturday, March 12, 2011

Meltdown feared at Fukushima nuclear plant after quake





The Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture is pictured in this August 2003 file photo. (Mainichi)

A core meltdown may have occurred at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture that was damaged in a massive earthquake on March 11, a government regulator said on March 12.



Cesium from nuclear fuel was detected in radioactive materials in a monitored zone at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's No. 1 reactor, according to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA).



Earlier in the day, radiation leaks were confirmed at the plant. Eight times the normal amount of radiation was detected at the front gate of the plant, and 1,000 times the normal amount was detected in the central control room for the plant's No. 1 reactor, the NISA said.



It was the first confirmation of radiation leaks since the earthquake. ~Sodsy http://amplify.com/u/bu1zl

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