TOKYO, March twenty one (Xinhua) -- Efforts to rig power cables to 2 reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in northeast Japan were suspended Monday evening following the looks of smoke rising from the reactors' housing buildings.
Owner and operator of the stricken plant, Tokyo electrical Power Co. (TEPCO), said it pulled out its employees briefly at around 3:55 p.m. native time as a precautionary live following the sighting of grey billowing smoke, though the utility noted that no explosion was heard at the No. three reactor building.
The smoke had dissipated by half dozen p.m. TEPCO said, however twenty minutes later white smoke was seen rising from the broken No. a pair of reactor building.
Investigations revealed that the smoke was in reality steam and wasn't a proof of any deterioration of the reactor's nuclear fuel pool and radiation levels within the space remained stable, the utility said.
Subsequently, the Tokyo hearth Department suspended their water spraying operation for the day, having begun timely Monday morning beside Japan's Self-Defense Force, in an exceedingly joint-effort to chill down reactors and overheating spent fuel pools at the troubled plant.
A spokesperson for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that the explanation for the smoke and steam from the 2 reactors was as nonetheless unknown and would delay cooling and power reconnecting operations at the plant by in some unspecified time in the future.
The No. 2 and No. five reactors had been connected to an external power supply on Sunday and each TEPCO and therefore the nuclear safety agency confirmed Monday that the utility had finished laying cables to attach to the No. 4 reactor, the primary step towards bringing each the No. 3 and No. four reactors back on-line.
But ongoing measures to repair a filtration system accountable for removing radioactive particles from the air at the No. a pair of reactor were suspended Monday following the temporary evacuation of employees, TEPCO said.
Japan's nuclear safety agency conjointly said that it's going to take a couple of a lot of days before the important cooling system is restored at the No. 2 reactor, whose containment vessel suffered harm in its pressure- suppression chamber, as multiple element systems should be restored before the reactor becomes absolutely operation.
The Japanese government plans to dispatch SDF tanks and special trucks to get rid of radioactive rubble from the vicinity of the reactors to assist employees progress in cooling and power operations.
Two special German-made trucks have conjointly been commissioned to help the operation and are available equipped with a a concrete squeeze pump and a 50-meter arm to pour water from the next purpose.
The trucks are similar in style to those employed in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear crisis.
Following the plant leaking radiation, radioactive substances are detected in spinach and different green-leafed vegetables in prefectures surrounding the plant, as well as Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Fukushima Prefectures.
The Japanese government on Monday issued an order to the four prefectures to halt shipments of bound turn out because of the detection of abnormally high levels of radiation, though Chief cupboard Secretary Yukio Edano told the general public the degree found would be of no damage to humans.
Fukushima Prefecture, home to the faltering Daiichi nuclear facility, was conjointly issued an order to halt all shipments of raw milk, because of traces of radiation being found.
In addition, water samples collected on Sunday showed each radioactive iodine and cesium in provides in Tochigi and Gunma, whereas iodine alone was found in Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Niigata and Yamanashi Prefectures, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said on Sunday.
But despite the brewing crisis, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Monday that "slow however steady progress" is being created in tackling the crisis at the Fukushima plant and told a Cabinet-level emergency disaster headquarters meeting that the reconstruction of quake and tsunami-hit regions in northeastern Japan would soon swing into full gear.
Meanwhile, TEPCO said it'll continue with its staggered blackouts in Tokyo and surrounding areas once four days, as work can resume as traditional Tuesday following a national vacation and demand can possible outstrip provide, significantly throughout peak-time that is between half dozen p.m. to 7 p.m.
Early morning power outages previously planned are going to be avoided because of factories needing beyond regular time to fireside up their operations following the long weekend, however the rolling blackouts can have an effect on most of TEPCO's service space either once or twice between 9:20 a.m. and 10 p.m., the utility said.
The National Police Agency reported Monday that the death toll following the March eleven magnitude nine.0 megaquake and ensuing tsunami and people still unaccounted for totaled twenty one,911 people.
According to the police agency, 8,649 are reported dead in twelve prefectures which those missing had risen to thirteen,262 individuals in six prefectures.
Around 4,080 bodies are identified, of which 2,990 are came to their families, the police agency said.
The World Bank on Monday estimated that the whole price of the earthquake and tsunami harm to Japan might be within the region of 235 billion U.S. dollars.
On Wednesday Goldman Sachs cluster Inc. estimated the whole price of the disaster to succeed in simply 197 billion U.S. dollars, that alone is one.6 times the quantity of the earthquake that hit Kobe in could 1995.
Editor: yan
11 years ago
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