– Japan braces for potential radiation catastrophe (Reuters):
(Reuters) – Japan faced a potential catastrophe on Tuesday after a quake-crippled nuclear power plant exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating toward Tokyo, prompting some people to flee the capital and others to stock up on essential supplies.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility — a population of 140,000 — to remain indoors amid the world’s most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.
– Radiation hits dangerous levels at Japan plant control room (Reuters)
TOKYO, March 15 (Reuters) – Radiation levels at the No. 4 reactor of Japan’s earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant had become too high on Tuesday to conduct normal work from its control room, Kyodo news agency said.
Workers cannot stay long and are going in and out of the control room as well as monitoring from a different place, Kyodo said.
Japan is facing a potential catastrophe after the nuclear plant exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating towards Tokyo.
– Japan’s PM warns of dangerous radiation levels (CBC):
Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis spawned by a deadly earthquake and tsunami.
In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation has spread from the four stricken reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant along Japan’s northeastern coast.