2011 - Japan Nuclear disaster threat looms over Japan

2. Nuclear disaster threat looms over Japan – 2011 march, 14 Anxiety in Japan grows as rescue workers find more bodies Two days after the alarm was first raised about safety at Fukushima Daiichi plant, uncertainty still surrounds the situation on the ground and the status of the three reactors that were functioning at the time of Friday's earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of people are believed to have died, and millions are spending a fourth night without water, food, electricity or gas. More than 500,000 people have been left homeless. People in Minamisanriku fled on Monday amid fears of another tsunami Nearly 185,000 people have been evacuated from a 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant. The US said it had moved one of its aircraft carriers from the area after detecting low-level radiation 160km offshore. A massive emergency response operation is under way in northern Japan, with world governments and international aid groups coming together to bring relief to the beleaguered island nation. Ninety-one countries and regions and six international organizations have offered assistance, according to the Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry. A satellite photo of the Fukushima Daiichi plant showed the damage done to reactors 1 and 3, where there was an explosion on Monday

3. AFP - Getty Images A combination of three screen grabs taken from news footage by Japanese public broadcaster NHK shows the moment of a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station number three reactor on March 14, 2011. An explosion shook the quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant on March 14 and plumes of smoke rose from the building, live television showed. Japan's nuclear safety agency said the blast, at the number 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, was believed to be caused by hydrogen.

4. Instruments for the measurement of nuclear radiation to send to Swiss Rescue workers in Japan, are pictured at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (DEZA) logistic - centre in Wabern March 14, 2011. A magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami which struck northern Japan on Friday. REUTERS/Pascal Lauener

5. Technicians scan Red Cross rescue workers for signs of radiation in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture in northern Japan, March 14, 2011. (Reuters/Kyodo)

6. Japanese medical personnel check a mother and son for radiation exposure in Kawamata village, Fukushima prefecture on Monday. Radiation levels at a damaged nuclear power plant at Fukushima were rising above legal limits, top government spokesman Yukio Edano said. Reactors at the Fukushima I and II plants lost their cooling functions after power and backup generators were cut off by the quake. - Asahi Shimbun / EPA

7. Officials in protective gear scan for signs of radiation on a woman who is from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama, March 13, 2011. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano confirmed on Saturday there has been an explosion and radiation leakage at Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The biggest earthquake to hit Japan on record struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, ships, cars and farm buildings on fire. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

8. Officials in protective gear stand next to people from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant, in Koriyama, March 13, 2011. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano confirmed on Saturday there has been an explosion and radiation leakage at Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

9. The inside of reactor No. 4 is seen at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in this September 24, 2002 file photo. A quake-hit nuclear plant where a reactor exploded has also lost the emergency cooling system at a second reactor, Japan's nuclear power safety agency said on March 13, 2011. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, said on Sunday morning it had started releasing air from a reactor container vessel at the No. 3 reactor at its Fukushima Daiichi plant to lower pressure inside it and avoid any serious damage to the containment vessel. Picture taken September 9, 2002. REUTERS/Yomiuri Shimbun

10. An official scans for signs of radiation on a woman in Nihonmatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture March 13, 2011 after radiation leaked from an earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daini nuclear reactor. Japan battled to contain a radiation leak at an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant on Sunday, but faced a fresh threat with the failure of the cooling system in a second reactor. REUTERS/Yomiuri Shimbun

11. An official scans for signs of radiation on a woman in Nihonmatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture March 13, 2011 after radiation leaked from an earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daini nuclear reactor. Japan battled to contain a radiation leak at an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant on Sunday, but faced a fresh threat with the failure of the cooling system in a second reactor. REUTERS/Yomiuri Shimbun

12. An official scans for signs of radiation on a woman in Nihonmatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture March 13, 2011 after radiation leaked from an earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daini nuclear reactor. Japan battled to contain a radiation leak at an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant on Sunday, but faced a fresh threat with the failure of the cooling system in a second reactor. REUTERS/Yomiuri Shimbun

13. A technician in protective gear scans for signs of radiation on a child at a makeshift facility that screens, cleanses and isolates people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan March 14, 2011. Japan battled on Monday to prevent a nuclear catastrophe and to care for millions of people without power or water in its worst crisis since World War Two, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people.REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

14. A man who was evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear power plants is screened for radiation levels at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao )

15. A member of Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) passes by bags filled with materials that could be contaminated with radioactive particles in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that the situation at a quake-damaged nuclear plant remained worrisome and that authorities were doing their utmost to prevent damage from spreading. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

16. A man who was evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear power plant washes his head at Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF)'s makeshift facility to cleanse people who might have been exposed to radiation in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that the situation at a quake-damaged nuclear plant remained worrisome and that authorities were doing their utmost to prevent damage from spreading. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

17. A man who was evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima nuclear power plant washes his spectacles at Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces' (JGSDF) makeshift facility to cleanse people who might have been exposed to radiation, in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that the situation at a quake-damaged nuclear plant remained worrisome and that authorities were doing their utmost to prevent damage from spreading. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

18. A mother tries to talk to her daughter who has been isolated for signs of radiation after evacuating from the vicinity of Fukushima\'s nuclear plants, at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011. (REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao HEALTH)

19. A family member evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima nuclear power plant, tries to talk to a girl who was isolated for signs of radiation outside a makeshift isolation facility in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

20. A technician in protective gear looks out an automatic door with signs reading "No entry except for those with permission" at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan March 14, 2011. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

21. A soldier holds a four-month-old baby who survived the tsunami with her family at Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture on March 14, 2011. (Yomiuri Shimbun/AFP/Getty Images)

22. Kim Kyung-hoon / Reuters An evacuee who was injured during the earthquake and tsunami, at the Red Cross hospital in Ishinomaki on Monday.

23. A man cycles by a ship at Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011, three days after a powerful earthquake-triggered tsunami hit Japan's east coast. (Shizuo Kambayashi/Associated Press)

24. A member of Japan Air Self-Defense Force rescues a victim in Ishinomaki, northern Japan, two days (Sunday, March 13, 2011) after a powerful earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the country's east coast. (The Yomiuri Shimbun, Makoto Kondo/Associated Press)

25. Houses and infrastructures devastated by a strong earthquake and tsunami in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Monday March 14, 2011. (Associated Press/Kyodo News)

26. Vessels float on oil spilled water in Fudai, Iwate, northern Japan Monday, March 14, 201. (Associated Press/Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroshi Adachi)

27. An aerial taken on March 14, 2011 during an AFP-chartered flight shows an area destroyed by the tsunami in Sendai in Miyagi prefecture three days after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the coast of eastern Japan. (Noboru Hashimoto/AFP/Getty Images

28. Survivors of Friday's earthquake and tsunami spend time at an evacuation center in Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. (Park Ji-ho, Yonhap/Associated Press)

29. People rest in an evacuation centre near Rikuzentakata, northern Japan, March 14, 2011. (Lee Jae-Won/Reuters) .

30. People walk a road between the rubble of destroyed buildings in Minamisanriku town, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. (The Yomiuri Shimbun, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto/Associated Press)

31. A family rests in a shelter in Soma city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. three days after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the country's north east coast. On top of the losses of family and friends and property, evacuees in the area are now faced with the fears of radiation contamination from damaged nuclear facilities near by. (Wally Santana/Associated Press)

32. Residents buy food at a temporarily opened supermarket in Sendai, northeastern Japan March 14, 2011. The supermarket set a limit on buying items at five per person. Japan battled on Monday to prevent a nuclear catastrophe and to care for millions of people without power or water in its worst crisis since World War II. (Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters

33. Evacuees line up for meals in a shelter in Soma city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. (Wally Santana/Associated Press)

34. People queue to be screened by a technician in protective gear for signs of possible radiation in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

35. People use temporary phones set up for residents at the Natori City Hall in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture on March 14, 2011. (Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images)

36. Survivors scan a list of people missing since Friday's massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami at an evacuation center in Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. (Park Ji-ho, Yonhap/Associated Press)

37. Evacuees hug each other as they confirm each other's safety at a makeshift shelter in Otsuchicho town, northern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. (The Yomiuri Shimbun, Yasuhiro Takami/Associated Press)

38. A car sits atop another in an area affected by an earthquake and tsunami in Miyako, Iwate prefecture March 14, 2011. (Aly Song/Reuters)

39. People search a boat that was washed inland that lays in the rubble in Rikuzentakata, northern Japan, March 14, 2011. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)

40. Elderly people who evacuated from a town near the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant read newspapers at a shelter in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Monday March 14, 2011. (Associated Press/Kyodo News)

41. A survivor of the tsunami that swept through his village of Saito, in northeastern Japan, retells the story to a rescue team that arrived to search the area Monday, March 14, 2011. Rescue workers used chain saws and hand picks Monday to dig out bodies in Japan's devastated coastal towns, as Asia's richest nation faced a mounting humanitarian, nuclear and economic crisis in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed thousands. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press)

42. Japanese rescue workers carry the body of a tsunami victim in devastated town of Otsuchi March 14, 2011. In the town of Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture, 12,000 out of a population of 15,000 are believed to have disappeared following Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

43. A Japanese rescue worker walks through a destroyed residential area of tsunami-hit Otsuchi March 14, 2011. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

44. Japanese rescue team members carry the body of a man from the village of Saito, in northeastern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. Rescue workers used chain saws and hand picks Monday to dig out bodies in Japan's devastated coastal towns. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press

45. Soldiers inspect the devastated area before they use heavy machinery in Noda village, northern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011. (Associated Press/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Yoichi Hayashi)

46. A photograph amidst rubble in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, March 14, 2011. (Reuters/Kyodo News)

47. Japanese soldiers urge an elderly woman to move to higher ground during a tsunami warning Monday, March 14, 2011, in the harbor of Soma city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. (Wally Santana/Associated Press)

48. A Japanese man walks through a destroyed residential area of tsunami-hit Otsuchi March 14, 2011. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

49. An emergency worker throws disinfectant powder in an area affected by an earthquake and tsunami in Miyako, Iwate prefecture March 14, 2011. (Aly Song Reuters)

50. Rescue workers move the body of a patient through the halls of a hospital in Minamisanriku town on March 14, 2011. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)