Explosion at Japan's Fukushima nuke plant

Explosion at Japan's Fukushima nuke plant With news emanating fro the Television pictures showed a massive blast at one of the buildings of the Fukushima-Daiichi plant, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Tokyo.(Jiji Press website reports --Part of nuclear fuel rods was exposed to air Saturday morning at a quake-damaged nuclear power reactor in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, because cooling water levels dropped through evaporation. The nuclear fuel rods of the No. 1 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, hit by Friday's 8.8-magnitude quake in northeastern Japan, may have been partially damaged, according to the company. Using a fire engine, the company is pumping water into the reactor as the water levels briefly sank 50 centimeters below the top of the fuel rods. The water levels are recovering, the company said.The loss of cooling water would lead to a meltdown in a reactor. Big cloud of smoke emerged out with bits of debris scattering and blown flung far from the plant building.