Fukushima plant operator to evacuate control room personnel
March 15th, 2011 - 10:23 pm ICT by IANSMoscow, March 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant said Tuesday that all personnel must be evacuated from the control room at the plant’s reactor No.1 after radiation levels became critical, Kyodo news agency said.
The agency did not report the exact radiation level reading.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, said the container of a reactor may have been partially damaged, Jiji Press reported.
The company said earlier Tuesday the problem could develop into a critical “meltdown” situation after part of the container vessel in reactor No.2 was damaged following a hydrogen explosion at 2110 GMT Monday.
The level of radiation around Fukushima No.1 in northeastern Japan is high enough to affect human health, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
The No.1, No.2 and No.3 reactors are all releasing hazardous radioactive material.
All residents within a 20-km radius of the plant have been evacuated, Japan’s National Police Agency said.
Blasts at Fukushima No.1 have escalated concerns about a possible nuclear disaster in the country, which was devastated by a massive magnitude-9 earthquake followed by tsunami Friday.
The official toll from the quake was 2,722, but estimates were that the number of dead would exceed 10,000.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
kv/dg
- Japan lifts milk restrictions from areas near n-plant - May 01, 2011
- 15 hospitalised with radiation poisoning in Japan - Mar 13, 2011
- Radiation levels no danger to marine life: Japan - Mar 26, 2011
- Japan raises Fukushima accident level to worst - Apr 12, 2011
- Japan declares 20 km no-go zone around Fukushima n-plant - Apr 21, 2011
- Radioactive levels at Fukushima lower than earlier reported:Kyodo - Mar 28, 2011
- More damage to Japan's n-reactors, radiation levels soar (Third Lead) - Mar 15, 2011
- Work resumed on Fukushima plant power supply, cooling - Mar 24, 2011
- 'Japan has no plans to dump spent nuclear fuel abroad' - May 10, 2011
- Quake-hit Japan faces nuclear crisis, toll may cross 10,000 (Third Lead) - Mar 13, 2011
- Fukushima workers evacuated amid fresh nuclear threat - Mar 16, 2011
- Dangerous radiation level at Fukushima No.1 reactor detected - May 10, 2011
- Temperature rises in two more reactors at Japan n-plant - Mar 15, 2011
- Japan tsunami toll likely to rise over 1,600 - Mar 12, 2011
- Japan declares nuclear emergency as second plant fails to operate - Mar 12, 2011
Tags: chief cabinet secretary, container vessel, edano, electric power co, health chief, human health, kyodo news agency, magnitude 9 earthquake, national police agency, northeastern japan, nuclear disaster, nuclear power plant, plant operator, radiation level, radiation levels, radioactive material, reactor, ria novosti, tokyo electric, yukio