Japan May 'Bury' Nuke Reactor
BBC reports:
Fukushima Daiichi's operator reportedly said on Friday the utility was not ruling out the option of entombing the plant in concrete as a last resort to prevent a catastrophic radiation leak.
The method was used during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986.
"It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete. But our priority right now is to try and cool them down first," an official from the Tokyo Electric Power Co told media, reports Reuters news agency.
Fire engines are being mobilised from as far away as Tokyo in a bid to hose the reactors down.
Television pictures showed water jets being turned on the reactors. Helicopters have also been dumping water on the plant.
Officials say they are also hoping to fix electricity cables from the grid to at least two of the six reactors on Friday.
Power is needed to restart pumps to pour cold water on overheating fuel rods and avert a major radiation leak.
Power may then be restored to reactor 2 as early as Friday night and to reactors 3 and 4 possibly by Sunday, Japanese news agencies reported.
Even if the engineers manage to connect the power, it is not certain that the pumps will work as they may have been damaged in the earthquake or subsequent explosions.
At a press conference, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano insisted radiation levels had not been serious enough to affect human health, although he conceded that there had been some higher readings.
He said reactor 3 remained the greatest concern and would be sprayed continuously.
Mr Edano also denied reports that Japan had rejected US offers of help.
Japan has imposed a 20-km (12-mile) exclusion zone around Fukushima and has urged people living up to 30km away to stay indoors.
Some countries have advised their nationals in Japan to stay up to 50km away or to leave the country entirely.
Police said more than 450,000 people have been made homeless by the disasters. Some are sleeping on the floors of school halls.
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