It’s Official: “Nuclear Fuel Has Melted Through Base of Fukushima Plant” … “The Findings of the Report, Which has Been Given to the International Atomic Energy Agency … Described a ‘Melt-Through’ as Being ‘Far Worse than a Core Meltdown’ and ‘The Worst Possibility In a Nuclear Accident'”
The Telegraph reports today:
The nuclear fuel in three of the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant has melted through the base of the pressure vessels and is pooling in the outer containment vessels, according to a report by the Japanese government.
The findings of the report, which has been given to the International Atomic Energy Agency, were revealed by the Yomiuri newspaper, which described a “melt-through” as being “far worse than a core meltdown” and “the worst possibility in a nuclear accident.”
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The pressure vessel of the No. 1 reactor is now believed to have suffered damage just five hours after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, contrary to an estimation released by Tepco, which estimated the failure at 15 hours later.
Melt-downs of the fuel in the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors followed over the following days with the molten fuel collecting at the bottom of the pressure vessels before burning through and into the external steel containment vessels.
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“The recovery effort at the plant is likely to be more difficult as they will not be able to use their previous plan to contain the fuel,” Yoshiaki Oka, a professor of nuclear science at Tokyo’s Waseda University told The Daily Telegraph.
“So it may take longer and be more difficult, but it is something they have to do.
Alexander Higgins picks up on other parts of the Telegraph article underplaying the severity of the crisis, noting:
The Telegraph report once again echoes statement from TEPCO that the fuel at the plant is now being cooled and that plant is stable. However, we have heard the same exact statements from TEPCO day after day for almost three months now. We heard it when there was no meltdown. and an were assured the rods were stable so the risk of meltdown was little to none. The media printed the statements.
When we were told that there was only a partial nuclear meltdown under way and there is no comparison between Fukushima and Chernobyl. Again, TEPCO and the media told use there was no danger because the fuel rods were stable and being cooled.
Then were found out this was in fact a level 7 incident on par with Chernobyl and were reassured the plant and fuel rods were stable.
Then they reveal a full meltdown occurred at 3 reactors, and the media again reported the fuel rods were stable and being cooled.
Now even with news that the nuclear lava inside the reactor has melted through the base of 3 reactors they once again print the same lies again that the cool rods are being effectively cooled and are in stable condition? Should we believe them this time after 3 months of lies?
The media is also still reporting that there is no risk to human health in Japan. What a joke. Does anyone seriously believe these lies?
