Highly radiated water next obstacle at Fukushima; workers burned
25 Mar 2011
Tokyo: The Japanese government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) backed off from an earlier statement that there was a strong likelihood of a breach in the reactor core of one unit at the quake and tsunami ravaged Fukushima nuclear complex.
It moderated its position to saying that high-level radiation detected in water at the No 3 unit of the complex appeared to have originated from the reactor core but there was no data to suggest that the reactor vessel had been cracked or damaged.
Agency spokesman, Hidehiko Nishiyama, said it remained uncertain how the leakage happened.
The government, which has set the exclusion zone within a 20 kilometre radius of the Fukushima plant, meanwhile, changed the parameters and said residents within a 30 kilometre radius of the power station, could now voluntarily leave.
The official directive is for them to stay indoors.
The Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, a government body, recommended voluntary evacuation as release of radioactive materials from the plant was expected to continue for some time.
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