Confidence in Japan’s efforts to cool radioactive fuel at a stricken nuclear power plant ebbed as foreign governments scrambled to arrange charter flights to evacuate their nationals, citing safety concerns.
Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant spent Thursday attempting to combat radiation leaks with little tangible progress. Fire trucks, riot police water cannon and helicopters were all deployed to cool nuclear fuel rods at the plant, 240km north of Tokyo.
The focus of the emergency has switched from the reactors to spent fuel-storage ponds. Temperatures in the ponds have risen rapidly as their cooling water evaporated – threatening an explosive meltdown in the worst case, which experts said was still unlikely.