Thousands evacuate as Fukishima nuclear emergency is declared

[Magda Hassan]

Well, it's happened. Earthquake, tsunami and now the nuclear reactor has exploded. Roof and walls gone. The 2nd reactor is about to meltdown as well.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42044156/ns/...a-pacific/
TOKYO An explosion was heard and smoke was seen at a quake-hit Japanese nuclear power plant on Saturday, officials said.
Several workers were injured by the blast at Fukushima Unit 1, Japanese TV station NHK reported. A trail of white smoke was seen at the site and shaking was felt, The Associated Press reported.
Britain's Sky News cited NHK as saying that the walls and roof of a building at the site had been destroyed.
Japan earlier warned of a meltdown after the nuclear reactor was damaged when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the northeast coast.
Experts said any threat of widespread radiation leaks would be contained as long as the reactor's outer container is intact.
Authorities have been scrambling to reduce pressure at two nuclear power plants in Fukushima, 150 miles north of Tokyo, damaged by Friday's devastating quake .
Two reactors had lost cooling ability at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Because of the overheating, a meltdown was possible at one of the reactors, said Ryohei Shiomi, an official with Japan's nuclear safety commission.
But even if there was a meltdown, it wouldn't affect people outside a six-mile radius, he said. Most of the 51,000 residents living within the danger area had been evacuated, he said.
Before the blast, authorities detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.