Blast at Japan’s quake-hit nuclear plant injures four

Four people have been injured in an explosion that occurred at the No. 1 reactor of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to Japan’s Kyodo News.

Saturday, March 12, 2011 19:38

Four people have been injured in anexplosion that occurred at the No. 1 reactor of the quake-hit FukushimaNo. 1 nuclear power plant, according to Japan’s Kyodo News.

Theoperator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that explosion was heard at 3:36p.m of March 12 (local time), following large tremors and white smokewere seen at the facility in Fukushima prefecture, 250 km to thenortheast of Tokyo .

Fukushima No. 1 is one of the nuclearpower plants being seriously affected by the 8.9 magnitude quake thathit northeastern Japan on March 11. The explosion took place afterthe Japanese Nuclear Energy Safety Organisation had ordered the plant todischarge radioactive waste to protect the reactor.

Theauthorities issued an emergency situation to all the five reactors, twoin Fukushima No. 1 and three in the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear powerplants. The five reactors stopped working after the quake.

All the people living in the nuclear plant area were asked to evacuate./.

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