Blast at nuclear plant after Japan tsunami

• Explosion reported at Fukushima nuclear plant • Death toll said to be more than 1,300 • Tsunami engulfs northern port of Sendai and islands • Around 50,000 rescuers have been deployed For earlier updates, read the Guardian’s previous live blog 10.28am: According to Oxfam, the damage to several Pacific countries in the path of the tsunami has been limited and alerts are gradually being lifted: Overnight reports had suggested that the incoming tsunami wave could be higher than many low-lying Pacific islands, with the potential to wash right over them. With thousands of islands to account for, it will be some time before the complete picture is available. However, early information suggests these islands so far appear to have avoided the worst-case scenario. 10.25am: The Guardian’s Tania Branigan says that Japanese authorities are extending the evacuation zone around the two Fukushima nuclear plants from 10km to 20km. The BBC has a video of smoke coming from Fukushima plant No 1 following the explosion . 10.22am: Here’s more details of the situation at Fukushima Daiichi No 1 plant from AP. A the news agency reports that it is not clear if a reactor meltdown would cause a serious radiation risk, and if it did how far the risk would extend: Yaroslov Shtrombakh, a Russian nuclear expert, said a Chernobyl-style meltdown was unlikely. “It’s not a fast reaction like at Chernobyl,” he said. “I think that everything will be contained within the grounds, and there will be no big catastrophe.” In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded and caught fire, sending a cloud of radiation over much of Europe. Pressure has been building up in Fukushima reactor it’s now twice the normal level and Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told reporters Saturday that the plant was venting “radioactive vapors.” Officials said they were measuring radiation levels in the area. Wind in the region is weak and headed northeast, out to sea, according to the Meteorological Agency. The reactor in trouble has already leaked some radiation: Operators have detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1′s control room. Ryohei Shiomi, a nuclear official, said that each hour the plant was releasing the amount of radiation a person normal absorbs in a year. He has said that even if there were a meltdown, it wouldn’t affect people outside a six-mile (10-kilometer) radius an assertion that might need revising if the situation deteriorates. Most of the 51,000 residents living within the danger area had been evacuated, he said. 10.04am: Here’s a recap of what we know about the two damaged nuclear plants. •Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan has declared a state of emergency at two nuclear power plants as engineers try to establish whether a reactor at one of the stations has gone into meltdown. • Diesel generators that normally would have worked as back-ups to keep cooling systems running had been disabled by tsunami flooding. • Power supply systems to provide emergency electricity for the plants were being put in place, the World Nuclear Association said. • Both plants are light water reactors operated by the Tokyo Electric Power company (or Tepco). Fukushima Daiichi No 1 plant – Japanese media said officials had detected caesium, one of the elements released when overheating causes core damage, around a reactor at Fukushima No 1 plant in Futuba, 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo. The plant has six reactors, three of which have been shut down for maintenance. – The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said it did not believe a meltdown was under way, but Ryohei Shiomi, an official with Japan’s nuclear safety commission, said that it was possible. Fukushima Daini No 2 plant – has four reactors, and in units 1, 2 and 4 of them the operator has said it has lost cooling ability. – Tepco says pressure is stable inside the reactors of the Daini plant but rising in the containment vessels. • Both plants have been declared to be in a state of emergency by the government, and an evacuation of the 80,000 residents who live within the 10km zone around both plants is underway. 9.46am: Good morning, this is David Batty with live coverage of the aftermath of the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday, causing a tsunami. A huge rescue mission is underway on Saturday amid growing fears of radiation leaks at nuclear power stations damaged by the disaster. Here’s a round-up of events so far in Japan on Saturday. • There are growing fears about damage to two nuclear power stations following Friday’s 8.9 magnitute earthquake. There has been an explosion at a building at one of the plants, Fukushima No 1 in Futuba, 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo. Japanese authorities have extended the evacuation area at the Fukushima No 2 plant to 10km, the same distance as for Fukushima No 1 plant. • The death toll from the disaster is expected to exceed 1,300, with most deaths due to drowning. The official death toll currently stands at 413, with 784 people missing and 1,128 injured. Police said between 200 and 300 bodies were found along the coast in Sendai, the biggest city in the area near the quake’s epicentre. • Police estimate that more than 215,000 people are taking refuge in emergency shelters in the east and north of the country. Many survivors have been trapped overnight on rooftops, surrounded by a sea of mud and water. Around 50,000 rescuers have deployed to the region. • Tsunami warnings for most of Japan have been lowered, although there is still a risk of large waves along the north-eastern coast. • The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at jet speed but had weakened before it hit Hawaii and the West Coast of the US. Initial reports suggest limited tsunami damage to Pacific island nations. For more details of events in Japan overnight and this morning, please check our earlier live blog . Japan earthquake and tsunami Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather Nuclear power David Batty guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 12, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.