News and Events

NO CHANGE IN RADIATION

A relieved Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which operates Fukushima, said Thursday's quake had not caused any more damage. It briefly evacuated workers because of a tsunami alert, although that was later withdrawn.

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog sounded an encouraging note when one of its officials said there were signs of progress in stabilising the Fukushima plant, though the situation remained very serious.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had not detected any change in radiation levels following Thursday night's quake.

The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious; (but) there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation, the IAEA's head of nuclear safety, Denis Flory, said.

The agency said radiation in the region around the plant, as measured by gamma dose rates, had peaked in the early days of the crisis, and aside from a rise on March 22, had since fallen to a level very close to background.