BEIJING,March 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The nuclear crisis rolls on in Japan as record high levels of radioactive iodine have been detected in seawater around the Fukushima nuclear plant. The Japanese government is now considering a move to decommission four of the stricken reactors.
Japan's government and Tokyo Electric Power admitted on Wednesday there is no end in sight to the ongoing disaster.
TEPCO says the company has so far failed to bring reactors Number 1 to 4 under control, and that they will eventually have to be shut down. The government says it's now discussing whether to bury the reactor buildings, by covering them with a special material.
The announcement comes as seawater near the facility has been found to contain much higher levels of radiation than previous reported. The new readings show radioactive iodine hitting 3355 times the legal limit.
Hidehiko Nishiyamja, Dep. Director of Japan Nuclear & Industrial Safety Agency, said, "We need to be vigilant and we have to take steps to prevent any further leakage into the sea. The area within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor has been evacuated and there is no fishing going on there."
The agency suspects the containers and safety shells of Number ONE, TWO and THREE reactors have been damaged, following the detection of highly radioactive liquid inside the reactor buildings.
The latest bad news comes a day after small amounts of highly toxic plutonium were detected in soil around the plant.
Meanwhile, TEPCO has sought to explain the absence of its president since the crisis began, saying he has been hospitalized with hypertension.
And in a further development, smoke has been reported coming from a different nuclear plant in Fukushima. Officials at the Daini power plant say the fire appeared to be coming from an electrical distribution box, and has since dispersed.
Japan has ordered an immediate safety upgrade across all of its 55 nuclear power stations, in the wake of the ongoing crisis.
(Source: CNTV)
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