nuclear-news

How Japanese earthquake has chilling echoes of 2011 tsunami disaster that killed at least 20,000 and caused nuclear meltdown

Daily Mail, By PERKIN AMALARAJ, 2 January 2024 

Japan earthquake LIVE: Four countries now on tsunami ALERT 

A devastating earthquake hit central Japan today with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, prompting mass evacuations – in what will have been a chilling reminder for the country of its tsunami disaster in 2011.

A total of 21 quakes above 4.0 magnitude rang out shortly after 4pm local time (7am UK time) today, and videos shared on social media and broadcast on Japanese TV showed how buildings collapsed in Suzu, a city close to the epicentre of the largest quake, with huge cracks appearing in roads.

Other clips showed terrified shoppers thrown to the ground in department stores and flooding at a train station after water pipes burst, as tsunami waves began lashing the coastlines.

For many, it will have been a painful reminder of when tragedy struck on March 11, 2011…………………………………………………………………………………….

The ensuing meltdown of three of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s reactors blanketed nearby areas with radiation, rendering some towns uninhabitable for years and displacing tens of thousands of residents. 

Seawater flooded electrical grids in the area, and took out many of the power plant’s backup generators. 

This meant there was no energy to cool down the reactors, leading to a catastrophic meltdown. 

Heat built up, and hydrogen gas was generated, accumulating in the upper part of the refuelling hall. 

Upon ignition, the roof of the refuelling hall exploded, spreading radioactive material everywhere. 

Everyone within a 12 mile radius was evacuated, and the tens of thousands of people who left fearing radiation are still displaced. Around two percent of Fukushima remains off-limits.

Most of Japan’s nuclear reactors are still offline, and government plans to revitalise the sector are controversial………………….. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12916139/How-Japanese-earthquake-chilling-echoes-2011-tsunami-disaster-killed-20-000-caused-nuclear-meltdown.html

January 3, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety