The Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami have resulted in a fire the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture.
Authorites have been unable to confirm speculation and concern about a radioactive leak as a
result of the fire at the plant operated by Tohoku Electric Power.
Miyagi
prefecture was one of the areas worst hit by the tsunami.
Kyodo also reported that an emergency core-cooling unit had been activated at
Fukushima nuclear
plant, without giving further details.
Earlier Friday Prime Minister Naoto Kan had said no radiation leaks have been
detected from Japan’s
nuclear power stations after the massive quake struck the country.
Four Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the epicentre of the quake have
been safely shut down, the UN atomic watchdog said Friday.
Tsunami warning for New Zealand and Australia
The death toll from the tsunmai and earthquake currently stands at at least 44 but that figure is expected to rise dramatically.
The country’s Meteorological Agency is urging people in quake-hit
areas to evacuate to higher ground immediately for fear of more
tsunamis.
The agency said that this morning’s quake was hugely powerful, and
people should brace themselves for possible major aftershocks.
They spoke after a wall of mud and water 33-ft high swept into coastal resorts of Japan – crushing everything in its path.
In Hawaii the threat of a major disaster has sparked panic as thousands flee, seeking high ground.
A tsunami warning is currently in force for Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Fiji, Mexico,
New Zealand, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama,
Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and the United States.
[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkhl_8fTvWw]
