Source: PDI
TOKYO—A police water cannon was deployed near an earthquake-hit Japanese nuclear power plant Wednesday to help pour water into a containment pool holding spent fuel rods, Jiji Press news agency reported.
The crowd-control vehicle, from Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, was expected to reach the Fukushima No.1 plant early morning Thursday and start operations as soon as it is ready, Jiji reported.
Workers at the plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), have struggled to top up water levels as the rods have heated up the water, threatening to evaporate it and expose the rods to air, which would send out radioactive material.
A TEPCO official confirmed that the police department would help their efforts with a water cannon but he had no more details.
A Japanese military helicopter was deployed earlier Wednesday on a mission to dump water from a huge bucket onto the fuel rods, but returned due to a high level of radiation above the reactors and containment pool before night fell.
Meanwhile the US military said Wednesday it had delivered high-pressure water pumps to Japan to help cool the nuclear power plant as part of the US aid effort amid Japan's worst crisis since World War II.
"High-pressure water pumps were offloaded from USNS Safeguard in Yokosuka last night and delivered to Yokota Air Force Base (in Tokyo) for further transfer to the government of Japan for employment at the Fukushima power plant," the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement.
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TOKYO—A police water cannon was deployed near an earthquake-hit Japanese nuclear power plant Wednesday to help pour water into a containment pool holding spent fuel rods, Jiji Press news agency reported.
The crowd-control vehicle, from Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, was expected to reach the Fukushima No.1 plant early morning Thursday and start operations as soon as it is ready, Jiji reported.
Workers at the plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), have struggled to top up water levels as the rods have heated up the water, threatening to evaporate it and expose the rods to air, which would send out radioactive material.
A TEPCO official confirmed that the police department would help their efforts with a water cannon but he had no more details.
A Japanese military helicopter was deployed earlier Wednesday on a mission to dump water from a huge bucket onto the fuel rods, but returned due to a high level of radiation above the reactors and containment pool before night fell.
Meanwhile the US military said Wednesday it had delivered high-pressure water pumps to Japan to help cool the nuclear power plant as part of the US aid effort amid Japan's worst crisis since World War II.
"High-pressure water pumps were offloaded from USNS Safeguard in Yokosuka last night and delivered to Yokota Air Force Base (in Tokyo) for further transfer to the government of Japan for employment at the Fukushima power plant," the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement.
