Oil spill, blast hit crippled Japan nuclear plant
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Tokyo, May 31 2011:
An oil spill and a small explosion have caused limited damage, but no further radiation leaks, at the crippled nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, the plant operator said Tuesday.
Workers at Fukushima Dai-ichi plant found an oil spill in the sea near reactors five and six, which were shutdown when an earthquake and a tsunami struck on March 11, Tokyo Electric Power Co.
said.
The spill was contained by an oil fence, TEPCO spokesman Taichi Okazaki said.
The explosion was likely from a gas tank and did not cause any additional radiation leaks, Okazaki said.
The cause was being investigated.
The main problems at Fukushima Dai-ichi involve reactors one, two and three, where the fuel cores have largely melted.
Scientists and government officials say the reactors are short of a full meltdown.