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Thousands of residents were evacuated from an area around a nuclear plant north of Tokyo after fears of a radiation leak, but officials said problems with the reactor’s cooling system were not at a critical level. Underscoring grave concerns about the plant, the US air force delivered coolant to the facility, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter (33-feet) high tsunami prompted offers of help from dozens of countries. Up to 300 bodies were earlier found in the coastal city of Sendai, media said. NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned. The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly. Tsunami warnings were issued across the Pacific but were later lifted for some of the most populated countries in the region, including Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand. Other Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down and one refinery was ablaze. Television footage also showed an intense fire in the waterfront area near Sendai, the city hardest hit by the quake. A major explosion hit a petrochemical complex in Miyagi prefecture after the quake, Kyodo said. Political leaders pushed for an emergency budget to help fund relief efforts after Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked them to “save the country”, Kyodo news agency reported. Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked …
timesofearth.com A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan killed at least 1000 people along the northeastern coast on Friday after a wall of water swept away everything in its path. Thousands of residents were evacuated from an area around a nuclear plant north of Tokyo after fears of a radiation leak, but officials said problems with the reactor’s cooling system were not at a critical level. Underscoring grave concerns about the plant, the US air force delivered coolant to the facility, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter (33-feet) high tsunami prompted offers of help from dozens of countries. Up to 300 bodies were earlier found in the coastal city of Sendai, media said. NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned. The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly. Tsunami warnings were issued across the Pacific but were later lifted for some of the most populated countries in the region, including Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand. Other Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down and one refinery was ablaze. Television footage also showed an intense fire in the waterfront area near Sendai, the city hardest hit by the quake. A major explosion hit a petrochemical complex in Miyagi prefecture after the quake, Kyodo said. Political leaders pushed for an …
