Japan death toll could be over 10,000: Fights nuclear melt down

Tokyo: Japan is facing an unprecedented nuclear crisis and is struggling hard to avert multiple meltdowns at two of its reactors damaged by the earthquake and Tsunami. Meanwhile the Prime Minister Naoto Kan has expressed fears that the death toll could be higher than 10,000 in the ravaged northeastern coast. . 
The country is braced for a fresh explosion at Fukushima plant, said News On Air, a web site by All India Radio of the Indian government. 
Following the explosion at a quake-hit nuclear plant in Japan, a state of emergency has been declared at a second facility due to excessive radiation levels there. Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that the first or lowest state of emergency at the Onagawa nuclear power plant has been reported by Tohoku Electric Power Company.
In southwestern Japan, the 1,421-metre Shinmoedake volcano erupted today ringing alarm bells as ash and rocks shot up into the sky but it was not immediately clear if it was a fall out of the massive earthquake. In a televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Japan is experiencing its biggest crisis since World War II as it tackled the aftermath of Friday's massive earthquake with a magnitude of 9, the ferocious tsunami and the worrying nuclear crisis.
Japanese authorities scrambled to control overheating reactors and fresh radiation threats at the quake-hit Fukushima nuke reactor as the risk of a second explosion grew. Fukushima shut down three reactors after the tsunami. A day after the first explosion, Kan said the situation at the plant, 240 km north of capital Tokyo, remained "grave". The explosion had blown off the roof and walls around the reactor.
The reactor faced serious troubles after its emergency cooling system failed, triggering a fresh radiation threat. The Fukushima power plant's operator said pressure was rising inside reactor No.3 after it lost its cooling system. Meanwhile, thousands of military personnel and civilians joined hands in a massive search and rescue operation. Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered rushing of additional Self-Defense Force personnel to quake-hit areas. Over one lakh SDF personnel, the largest such operation, will assist in the relief and rescue operations, Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said.
Millions of Japanese were without drinking water or electricity today, surviving on instant noodles and rice balls. Kyodo news agency said, almost two million households were without power in the freezing north and about 1.4 million without running water. About 300,000 people were evacuated nationwide, many seeking refuge in shelters, wrapped in blankets, some clutching each other sobbing.
More than 215,000 people are said to be living in 1,350 temporary shelters in five prefectures in quake-hit areas. One report said four trains had disappeared following the quake and still had not been located. International disaster relief teams are being sent to Japan, with the UN helping to coordinate the operation.  

Following the explosion at a quake-hit nuclear plant in Japan, a state of emergency has been declared at a second facility due to excessive radiation levels there. Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that the first or lowest state of emergency at the Onagawa nuclear power plant has been reported by Tohoku Electric Power Company.
In southwestern Japan, the 1,421-metre Shinmoedake volcano erupted today ringing alarm bells as ash and rocks shot up into the sky but it was not immediately clear if it was a fall out of the massive earthquake. In a televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Japan is experiencing its biggest crisis since World War II as it tackled the aftermath of Friday's massive earthquake with a magnitude of 9, the ferocious tsunami and the worrying nuclear crisis.
Japanese authorities scrambled to control overheating reactors and fresh radiation threats at the quake-hit Fukushima nuke reactor as the risk of a second explosion grew. Fukushima shut down three reactors after the tsunami. A day after the first explosion, Kan said the situation at the plant, 240 km north of capital Tokyo, remained "grave". The explosion had blown off the roof and walls around the reactor.Source: News On line