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Fukushima leaks: radioactive water overflows tank Fukushima leaks: radioactive water overflows tank
(about 3 hours later)
Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has a new leak of radioactive water which may have entered the Pacific Ocean, its operator says. Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has a new leak of radioactive water after workers overfilled a storage tank, its operator says.
Workers discovered water overflowing from one of the storage tanks late on Wednesday, plant operator Tepco said. The workers miscalculated the tank's capacity as it was tilted on unlevel ground, plant operator Tepco said.
It estimates that 430 litres (100 gallons) of water may have leaked from the tank. It said around 430 litres (100 gallons) of water may have leaked from the tank, and could have flowed into the sea.
The plant has experienced several leaks since being crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.The plant has experienced several leaks since being crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
"[The contaminated water] went into the drain and we cannot deny the possibility of it having reached the ocean," Tepco official Masayuki Ono told reporters on Thursday. One of the largest leaks took place in August, when Tepco discovered a leak of at least 300 tonnes of highly radioactive water at a different part of the plant.
Mr Ono added that the overflow was the result of a worker misjudging how much water could be held in the tank, which was tilting because of an uneven location, reports said. The latest leak was discovered by workers late on Wednesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in quotes carried by Reuters news agency that the leaks indicated that Tepco's efforts to improve its handling of the contaminated water were not sufficient. Tepco official Masayuki Ono said: "We would like to apologise that we have to announce that we've had another leak in our tanks today."
The government would take steps to deal with the water, Mr Suga added. "This is partly because we've had to fill our tanks to the brim in order to deal with the difficult management of rain water overflow following [a typhoon]," he added.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Tepco had failed to deal with the leaks successfully.
"It's actually leaking so of course we can't say that [Tepco] have been properly dealing with the issue. It should not be leaking at all," he said.
The 2011 disaster knocked out cooling systems to the nuclear plant's reactors, three of which melted down.The 2011 disaster knocked out cooling systems to the nuclear plant's reactors, three of which melted down.
Water is now being pumped in to cool the reactors, but storing the resultant large quantities of radioactive water has proved a challenge for Tepco.Water is now being pumped in to cool the reactors, but storing the resultant large quantities of radioactive water has proved a challenge for Tepco.
In August, Tepco discovered a leak of at least 300 tonnes of highly radioactive water at a different part of the plant.
In September, the government said it would invest hundreds of millions of dollars into building a frozen wall around the plant to stop the leaks.In September, the government said it would invest hundreds of millions of dollars into building a frozen wall around the plant to stop the leaks.