Radiation high at Japanese plant despite cooling effort

March 17th, 2011 - 5:31 pm ICT by IANS  

Tokyo, March 17 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Radiation levels remain high at the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant in east Japan, the plant’s operator said, as efforts continue to cool the reactors from the air.

Army helicopters have been dropping tonnes of seawater on nuclear reactors No. 3 and 4 to cool the overheating fuel rods and prevent a meltdown. But heightened radiation levels persisted past 10 a.m. local time (01.00 GMT), Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the plant, told Kyodo news.

A series of blasts and fires damaged four of Fukushima’s six reactors after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan Friday (March 11), sparking a powerful tsunami and killing thousands.

–IANS/RIA Novosti
sd/vt

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