Japan prepares to restart work at nuclear plant

Source: AP

FUKUSHIMA, Japan – Japan ordered emergency workers to withdraw from its stricken nuclear complex Wednesday amid a surge in radiation, temporarily suspending efforts to cool the overheating reactors. Hours later, officials said they were preparing to send the team back in.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the workers, who had been dousing the reactors with seawater in a frantic effort to stabilize their temperatures, had no choice but to pull back from the most dangerous areas.

"The workers cannot carry out even minimal work at the plant now," he said Wednesday morning, as smoke billowed above the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex. "Because of the radiation risk we are on standby."

Later, an official with Tokyo Electric Power, which operates the plant, said the team had withdrawn about 500 yards (meters) from the complex, but were getting ready to go back in.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake;_ylt=AuLInnsV_Uj_vXKDT__eIXKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNqcjA0anJiBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwMzE2L2FzX2phcGFuX2VhcnRocXVha2UEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMyBHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNqYXBhbnBy

Wishing them well.

it was a false alarm and they've gone back to work.

Thank goodness this was another.

by different news channels sometimes broadcasting different information albeit not maliciously. At least I get what see they genuinely believe to be the truth here in the UK. Both BBC and Sky seem to have all their main newsreaders over in Japan at present - its quite eirie. Everyone seems to use NHK footage.

:hi: