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Officials in protective gear check for signs of radiation on children who are from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama, March 13, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon |
Radiation leaked from an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant in Japan on Saturday after a blast blew off the roof, and authorities prepared to distribute iodine to local people to protect them from exposure.
The government insisted radiation levels were low because although the explosion severely damaged the main building of the plant, it had not affected the reactor core container. Japan's nuclear safety agency said the accident rated less serious than either the Three Mile Island or Chernobyl disasters.
Local media said three people suffered radiation exposure near the plant after Friday's massive earthquake, which sent a 10-metre (33-foot) tsunami ripping through towns and cities across Japan's northeastern coast.
Kyodo news agency said more than 1,700 people were killed or missing as a result of the 8.9-magnitude quake, the biggest in Japan since records began in the 19th century.
Later it said 9,500 people in one town were unreachable, but gave no other details.
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