Tokyo March 23:
Japanese workers scrambled hard to restore power at the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant as smoke rose from two of its reactors in the tsunami- hit northeast, which was jolted by a series of new powerful quakes, including two measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale.
Authorities sought the help of the US military in tackling the "extremely tough" situation at the plant, close to which highly concentrated radioactivity was detected in iodine and cesium in seawater, sparking fears about food safety.
The nuclear plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), said the seawater pollution in the region had expanded, but the country's nuclear safety agency said there were no immediate health threats. The amount of radioactive iodine reached 80.3-fold of the standard level at the point 8 km south of the plant and 16.4-fold at the point 16 km south, Kyodo news agency reported.
Japanese workers scrambled hard to restore power at the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant as smoke rose from two of its reactors in the tsunami- hit northeast, which was jolted by a series of new powerful quakes, including two measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale.
Authorities sought the help of the US military in tackling the "extremely tough" situation at the plant, close to which highly concentrated radioactivity was detected in iodine and cesium in seawater, sparking fears about food safety.
The nuclear plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), said the seawater pollution in the region had expanded, but the country's nuclear safety agency said there were no immediate health threats. The amount of radioactive iodine reached 80.3-fold of the standard level at the point 8 km south of the plant and 16.4-fold at the point 16 km south, Kyodo news agency reported.
