Radioactive water may have leaked from Fukushima: Operator company

Radioactive water is feared to have leaked into the ground at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following a nuclear disaster at the site in 2011.

Fukushima’s operator company said Saturday that as much as 120 tons of radioactive water may have escaped from a key tank in the plant and may have contaminated the surrounding areas.

According to a Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) spokesman, seven underground reservoir tanks are at the tsunami-damaged plant.

“We are transferring the remaining water from the tank to others,” the TEPCO spokesman said, adding that the company believes the water from the leaking tank is not expected to reach the sea.

The cause of the leak is yet to be determined and it is not clear how long the malfunction has been going on.

On March 11, 2011, a nine-magnitude earthquake inflicted heavy damage on the six-reactor Fukushima plant. The cooling systems of the plant’s reactors were knocked out, leading to meltdowns and the leakage of radioactivity.

This forced tens of thousands of people from their homes and polluted nearby lands.