CLICK THIS LINK FOR LATEST/ALL QUAKE UPDATES
# 5381
I’m currently monitoring the English language news broadcasts from NHK World available at:
Guests and reporters are openly discussing the possibility of a core melt occurring at Fukushima reactor #1, and have very recently announced the extension of the evacuation zone around reactor #1 to 20 km.
The evacuation radius around reactor #2 remains at 10 Km (the two reactors are roughly 10 km apart).
Two recent reports from the Voice of America.
Fear of potential invisible killer near Japanese nuclear site
Nuclear reactor at Fukushima may be near meltdown
Steve Herman | Fukushima, Japan March 12, 2011
Photo: AFP
An aerial view shows the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant in the Japanese town of Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, run by Tokyo Electric Power, March 12, 2011
An eerie silence has descended over this northeastern Japanese city. Tens of thousands have evacuated their homes a day after one of the worst-ever recorded earthquakes and subsequent tsunami, which swallowed coastal villages.
The greatest fear here, right now, stems not from the continuing aftershocks and the ongoing tsunami warnings, but rather a silent and invisible potential killer.
One or more nuclear reactors in Fukushima may be close to, or have suffered a meltdown. A reactor wall has apparently collapsed at one reactor, injuring four people there Saturday afternoon.
Japanese Government Urges Calm Following Explosion at Nuclear Plant
Saturday, March 12th, 2011 at 10:35 am UTC
A Japanese government spokesman has called for calm following an explosion at one of two nuclear plants damaged in Friday's massive earthquake.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says authorities are monitoring radiation levels at Fukushima, where smoke could be seen billowing out of the nuclear plant complex. Japanese media say radiation levels are more than eight times normal outside the plant.
Authorities have expanded the evacuation zone around the plant to 20 kilometers.
It is now roughly 30 hours since the 8.9 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Honshu. Since then, the region has been struck by dozens of strong aftershocks.
