03-12-2011, 04:47 AM
[url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8377506/Japan-earthquake-nuclear-disaster-fears-as-reactor-overheats.html"]Japan earthquake: nuclear overheatsdisaster fears as reactor [/url]
Japan was battling to avoid a nuclear disaster after a reactor was critically damaged by the countryââ¬â¢s biggest earthquake.
Japan was battling to avoid a nuclear disaster after a reactor was critically damaged by the countryââ¬â¢s biggest earthquake.
Quote:Prime minister Naoto Kan declared a nuclear emergency as his trade minister admitted that a radiation leak might occur at the Fukushima power plant.
The reactorââ¬â¢s cooling system failed after the 8.9-magnitude tremor hit northern Japan at 2.46pm local time. Pressure in the reactor was rising despite the US Air Force flying extra coolant to the plant.
Japan's massive earthquake caused a power outage that disabled a nuclear reactor's cooling system, triggering evacuation orders for about 3,000 residents as the government declared its first-ever state of emergency at a nuclear plant.
Reports were also emerging of a second atomic plants in an earthquake-hit area was experiencing reactor cooling problems.