The latest reports available in Japan late Saturday night indicate that more than 1,300 people are either dead or missing following the earthquake and tsunami disaster. And police say more than 215,000 people have been forced to seek emergency shelter.
The latest reports available in Japan late Saturday night indicate that more than 1,300 people are either dead or missing following the earthquake and tsunami disaster. And police say more than 215,000 people have been forced to seek emergency shelter.
VOA reporters close to the Fukushima nuclear plant say aftershocks are still rocking the area, more than 24 hours after the original 8.9-magnitude jolt and tsunami. After a serious explosion destroyed one of the Fukushima plant's nuclear reactor buildings earlier Saturday, authorities called on all residents to move at least 20 kilometers away from the facility.
Government spokesman Yukio Edano said the explosion north of Tokyo did not damage the reactor's spherical metal containment vessel, and that the reactor's internal pressure decreased after the blast.
Pressure in the reactor built to dangerous levels after the earthquake knocked out power to essential cooling systems, greatly increasing the risk of a possible release of radioactive particles and gases. Another nuclear plant near Fukushima also has been shut down due to a cooling-system failure.
Friday's earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, was the strongest ever felt in Japan's modern history. A huge tsunami spawned by the undersea quake smashed into Japan's east coast minutes later, washing away entire villages, damaging roads and leaving thousands without electricity and other services.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday evening addressed Japan expressing hope that as he put it, "this disaster can somehow be survived."
Besides helping the thousands of people injured and made homeless by the quake and tsunami, Kan said his top priority is the emergencies with a pair of damaged nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture.
Japanese government officials, including Kan, are stressing that despite a large explosion that injured at least four people at the Fukushima Number One plant, the reactor is undamaged and not single citizen affected by radiation.
A 20 kilometer evacuation zone has been established around that reactor and a 10 kilometer zone around another one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Government officials say a cooling process using sea water and boric acid is underway at the Number One reactor.
Radiation has been detected outside the Number One plant, but the government is saying the intensity of the radiation did not increase after the explosion.
There is little sign of panic here in Fukushima prefecture. Most people are focused on rebuilding damaged homes, seeking clean water and mourning those who have died.
Food supplies are running short. And in the few markets remaining open, rice balls and bottle water are out of stock.
The death toll remains unclear. Troops are finding hundreds of bodies along the beaches where tsunamis swept out to sea entire communities in neighboring Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
About 50,000 troops have been assigned to rescue and recovery efforts across the country.
Some of the first rescuers arrived in helicopters to reach those stranded on roofs and other hard-to-reach places.
Hundreds of bodies have been recovered already, while many others victims are believed to be buried in the rubble.
Japanese authorities said 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, the city closest to the quake, which was the fifth most powerful recorded anywhere in the world more than a century. They say 700 people are missing and 1,000 people have been injured.
fuente: http://www.voanews.com/
VOA reporters close to the Fukushima nuclear plant say aftershocks are still rocking the area, more than 24 hours after the original 8.9-magnitude jolt and tsunami. After a serious explosion destroyed one of the Fukushima plant's nuclear reactor buildings earlier Saturday, authorities called on all residents to move at least 20 kilometers away from the facility.
Government spokesman Yukio Edano said the explosion north of Tokyo did not damage the reactor's spherical metal containment vessel, and that the reactor's internal pressure decreased after the blast.
Pressure in the reactor built to dangerous levels after the earthquake knocked out power to essential cooling systems, greatly increasing the risk of a possible release of radioactive particles and gases. Another nuclear plant near Fukushima also has been shut down due to a cooling-system failure.
Friday's earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, was the strongest ever felt in Japan's modern history. A huge tsunami spawned by the undersea quake smashed into Japan's east coast minutes later, washing away entire villages, damaging roads and leaving thousands without electricity and other services.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday evening addressed Japan expressing hope that as he put it, "this disaster can somehow be survived."
Besides helping the thousands of people injured and made homeless by the quake and tsunami, Kan said his top priority is the emergencies with a pair of damaged nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture.
Japanese government officials, including Kan, are stressing that despite a large explosion that injured at least four people at the Fukushima Number One plant, the reactor is undamaged and not single citizen affected by radiation.
A 20 kilometer evacuation zone has been established around that reactor and a 10 kilometer zone around another one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Government officials say a cooling process using sea water and boric acid is underway at the Number One reactor.
Radiation has been detected outside the Number One plant, but the government is saying the intensity of the radiation did not increase after the explosion.
There is little sign of panic here in Fukushima prefecture. Most people are focused on rebuilding damaged homes, seeking clean water and mourning those who have died.
Food supplies are running short. And in the few markets remaining open, rice balls and bottle water are out of stock.
The death toll remains unclear. Troops are finding hundreds of bodies along the beaches where tsunamis swept out to sea entire communities in neighboring Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
About 50,000 troops have been assigned to rescue and recovery efforts across the country.
Some of the first rescuers arrived in helicopters to reach those stranded on roofs and other hard-to-reach places.
Hundreds of bodies have been recovered already, while many others victims are believed to be buried in the rubble.
Japanese authorities said 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, the city closest to the quake, which was the fifth most powerful recorded anywhere in the world more than a century. They say 700 people are missing and 1,000 people have been injured.
fuente: http://www.voanews.com/
Comentarios