International energy authorities have voiced concerns over the deteriorating situation at tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant as anger mounts over the handling of the crisis.
Workers at the stricken plant are desperately trying to prevent the fuel rods of several damaged reactors from overheating and ultimately melting down.
Japanese military helicopters have been dumping seawater on the stricken Reactor 3 to cool down the fuel rods inside the core.
The plant operator has said getting water to this reactor is a priority because of the smoke or steam which has been escaping, indicating water is evaporating from the cooling pool.
The head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, said he believes the situation is more serious than the Japanese government is letting on
Mr Jaczko warned that water in Reactor 4's cooling pool may have run dry and a second reactor could be leaking - something experts say could accelerate the release of radiation.
"We believe that around the reactor site there are high levels of radiation," he said.
"It would be very difficult for emergency workers to get near the reactors.
The doses they could experience would potentially be lethal doses in a very short period of time
But Japan's nuclear safety agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co, which operates the six-unit Fukushima complex, denied Mr Jaczko's statement that the water is gone from the pool.
Utility spokesman Hajime Motojuku said Reactor 4's condition is "stable".
The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) said two of the facility's staff members remain missing after an explosion earlier this week.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been cleared from their homes, and thousands more have chosen to move away from the region surrounding the Fukushima plant which is 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo.
The US has warned citizens living within 50 miles (80km) to evacuate.
But Japan's nuclear safety agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co, which operates the six-unit Fukushima complex, denied Mr Jaczko's statement that the water is gone from the pool.
Utility spokesman Hajime Motojuku said Reactor 4's condition is "stable".
The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) said two of the facility's staff members remain missing after an explosion earlier this week.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been cleared from their homes, and thousands more have chosen to move away from the region surrounding the Fukushima plant which is 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo.
The US has warned citizens living within 50 miles (80km) to evacuate.
The rapidly-changing situation has also led Britain, Germany, France, Austria and Australia to urge its citizens to leave the country's capital.
The UK government is chartering flights from Tokyo to Hong Kong to supplement commercially available options for those wishing to leave.
Asian and European airlines have begun diverting Tokyo flights to Osaka or cancelling them altogether.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog is to travel to Japan today to assess what he called a "very serious" situation and urged the Japanese government to provide better information to his organisation.
Finance ministers of the leading G7 economies will also discuss today how to help Japan with the financial impact of the disaster.
The nuclear crisis has diverted attention from the tens of thousands affected by Friday's earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Around 850,000 households in the north are without electricity in near-freezing weather.
The official death toll currently stands at 5,178 with a further 8,606 people missing.
Workers at the stricken plant are desperately trying to prevent the fuel rods of several damaged reactors from overheating and ultimately melting down.
Japanese military helicopters have been dumping seawater on the stricken Reactor 3 to cool down the fuel rods inside the core.
The plant operator has said getting water to this reactor is a priority because of the smoke or steam which has been escaping, indicating water is evaporating from the cooling pool.
The head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, said he believes the situation is more serious than the Japanese government is letting on
Mr Jaczko warned that water in Reactor 4's cooling pool may have run dry and a second reactor could be leaking - something experts say could accelerate the release of radiation.
"We believe that around the reactor site there are high levels of radiation," he said.
"It would be very difficult for emergency workers to get near the reactors.
The doses they could experience would potentially be lethal doses in a very short period of time
But Japan's nuclear safety agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co, which operates the six-unit Fukushima complex, denied Mr Jaczko's statement that the water is gone from the pool.
Utility spokesman Hajime Motojuku said Reactor 4's condition is "stable".
The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) said two of the facility's staff members remain missing after an explosion earlier this week.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been cleared from their homes, and thousands more have chosen to move away from the region surrounding the Fukushima plant which is 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo.
The US has warned citizens living within 50 miles (80km) to evacuate.
But Japan's nuclear safety agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co, which operates the six-unit Fukushima complex, denied Mr Jaczko's statement that the water is gone from the pool.
Utility spokesman Hajime Motojuku said Reactor 4's condition is "stable".
The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) said two of the facility's staff members remain missing after an explosion earlier this week.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been cleared from their homes, and thousands more have chosen to move away from the region surrounding the Fukushima plant which is 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo.
The US has warned citizens living within 50 miles (80km) to evacuate.
The rapidly-changing situation has also led Britain, Germany, France, Austria and Australia to urge its citizens to leave the country's capital.
The UK government is chartering flights from Tokyo to Hong Kong to supplement commercially available options for those wishing to leave.
Asian and European airlines have begun diverting Tokyo flights to Osaka or cancelling them altogether.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog is to travel to Japan today to assess what he called a "very serious" situation and urged the Japanese government to provide better information to his organisation.
Finance ministers of the leading G7 economies will also discuss today how to help Japan with the financial impact of the disaster.
The nuclear crisis has diverted attention from the tens of thousands affected by Friday's earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Around 850,000 households in the north are without electricity in near-freezing weather.
The official death toll currently stands at 5,178 with a further 8,606 people missing.
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