Hydrogen blast at Japan's Fukushima N-plant
Radiation risks mounted in Japan after a second hydrogen explosion rocked the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant today leaving 11 workers injured.
By PTI |
Tokyo: Radiation risks mounted in Japan after a second hydrogen explosion rocked the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant today leaving 11 workers injured and the cooling systems failed at another reactor.
Fears of a meltdown escalated as the fuel rods in the No.2 reactor were "fully exposed" with air pressure suddenly rising and the flow of cooling water getting blocked.
Hundreds of bodies were found scattered across the north-eastern coastline bringing alive the horror of Friday's massive earthquake of 9.0 magnitude and tsunami in which 10,000 people have been estimated to have perished.
A thick column of smoke billowed from Fukushima reactor No.3 following the explosion at 11 am but the container was not damaged, Japan's nuclear safety agency said.
"We judge that the possibility of a large amount of radioactive materials flying off from there is low," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference, adding that seawater was being injected to cool down the No.3 reactor.
However, fuel rods at the No.2 reactor was "fully exposed" at one point after its cooling function failed, Kyodo news agency said, quoting the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
The seawater injection operation started at 4:34 pm, but water levels in the No.2 reactor have since fallen sharply with only one out of five fire pumps working. The other four were feared to have been damaged by a blast that occurred in the morning at the nearby No.3 reactor, the agency said.
Apprehending another explosion, TEPCO is contemplating drilling a hole in the wall of the building that houses No.2 reactor to release hydrogen.
The emergency measures of flooding the affected reactors with sea-water are to avert a full meltdown, officials said.
A meltdown occurs when a severe failure of a nuclear power plant system prevents proper cooling of the reactor core, to the extent that the nuclear fuel assemblies overheat and melt. This can lead to release of large amounts of harmful radioactive material.
"The reactor building exploded but the primary containment vessel was not damaged. The control room of unit 3 remains operational," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The blast injured 11 people, including 4 employees and 4 Self-Defence Force members, state broadcaster NHK quoted TEPCO as saying.
Fears of high radiation levels brought back horrific memories of the nuclear holocaust in the last days of World War II.
The Fukushima nuclear plant has been shut down since Friday. "According to the Fukushima plant chief's assessment, the container's health has been maintained. The possibility is low that massive radioactive materials have spattered," Edano said.
Fears of a meltdown escalated as the fuel rods in the No.2 reactor were "fully exposed" with air pressure suddenly rising and the flow of cooling water getting blocked.
Hundreds of bodies were found scattered across the north-eastern coastline bringing alive the horror of Friday's massive earthquake of 9.0 magnitude and tsunami in which 10,000 people have been estimated to have perished.
A thick column of smoke billowed from Fukushima reactor No.3 following the explosion at 11 am but the container was not damaged, Japan's nuclear safety agency said.
"We judge that the possibility of a large amount of radioactive materials flying off from there is low," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference, adding that seawater was being injected to cool down the No.3 reactor.
However, fuel rods at the No.2 reactor was "fully exposed" at one point after its cooling function failed, Kyodo news agency said, quoting the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
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The seawater injection operation started at 4:34 pm, but water levels in the No.2 reactor have since fallen sharply with only one out of five fire pumps working. The other four were feared to have been damaged by a blast that occurred in the morning at the nearby No.3 reactor, the agency said.
Apprehending another explosion, TEPCO is contemplating drilling a hole in the wall of the building that houses No.2 reactor to release hydrogen.
The emergency measures of flooding the affected reactors with sea-water are to avert a full meltdown, officials said.
A meltdown occurs when a severe failure of a nuclear power plant system prevents proper cooling of the reactor core, to the extent that the nuclear fuel assemblies overheat and melt. This can lead to release of large amounts of harmful radioactive material.
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"The reactor building exploded but the primary containment vessel was not damaged. The control room of unit 3 remains operational," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The blast injured 11 people, including 4 employees and 4 Self-Defence Force members, state broadcaster NHK quoted TEPCO as saying.
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Fears of high radiation levels brought back horrific memories of the nuclear holocaust in the last days of World War II.
The Fukushima nuclear plant has been shut down since Friday. "According to the Fukushima plant chief's assessment, the container's health has been maintained. The possibility is low that massive radioactive materials have spattered," Edano said.
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