There was growing panic in Japan today as a third massive explosion and a fire at a nuclear power station hit by the tsunami pushed the country to the brink of catastrophe. The government was forced to to order 140,000 residents to seal themselves indoors today as more radioactive material was released into the atmosphere by the third explosion at the plant in four days and the fire at another reactor. Radioactive material is leaking 'directly' into the air from the stricken plant at a rate of 400 milliseverts per hour, according to The International Atomic Energy Agency. Anyone exposed to over 100 millisieverts a year risks cancer. Radiation levels were rising around Tokyo this morning, with readings up to ten times higher than normal in Chiba - 15 miles from the capital. It is another dramatic escalation in the nuclear crisis facing the country after Friday's tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant - leaving engineers struggling to stop the reactors overheating and avoid a catastrophic meltdown. It is the world's most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. (Daily Mail)Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Japan in meltdown: THIRD reactor blast hits N-plant as it's confirmed radiation 'has been released into the atmosphere'
There was growing panic in Japan today as a third massive explosion and a fire at a nuclear power station hit by the tsunami pushed the country to the brink of catastrophe. The government was forced to to order 140,000 residents to seal themselves indoors today as more radioactive material was released into the atmosphere by the third explosion at the plant in four days and the fire at another reactor. Radioactive material is leaking 'directly' into the air from the stricken plant at a rate of 400 milliseverts per hour, according to The International Atomic Energy Agency. Anyone exposed to over 100 millisieverts a year risks cancer. Radiation levels were rising around Tokyo this morning, with readings up to ten times higher than normal in Chiba - 15 miles from the capital. It is another dramatic escalation in the nuclear crisis facing the country after Friday's tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant - leaving engineers struggling to stop the reactors overheating and avoid a catastrophic meltdown. It is the world's most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. (Daily Mail)