Crisis Continues at Crippled Japanese Nuclear Power Plants

This handout picture shows the damaged third (L) and fourth reactors of the TEPCO Fukushima No.1 power plant in Fukushima, north of Tokyo, March 16, 2011
Japan's government acknowledged Wednesday it might need the help of U.S. military forces to halt continuing radioactive emissions from a nuclear power plant severely damaged by last Friday's tsunami, triggered by the magnitude nine earthquake.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters the assistance of the United State military is now being considered, but that it might be too risky to use helicopters to drop water on the damaged reactors to try to keep cool the radioactive fuel rods.

The top government spokesman says the containment vessel of Reactor Three at the Fukushima nuclear power plant may have cracked. He says it is highly probably that this may be the source of a cloud of white smoke being seen in video images relayed from a helicopter 30 kilometers away from the crippled nuclear facility.
Crisis Continues at Crippled Japanese Nuclear Power Plants | East Asia and Pacific | English