How bad is it? Workers are trapped inside the control room, the most heavily shielded place in the complex. A helicopter flight over the plant to desperately drop water on burning, radiation-spewing fuel rods was aborted due to high levels of radiation detected in the air above the plant. A regulation has been changed, upping by 2.5 times the limit of radiation exposure the workers will be allowed. The Emperor of Japan addressed the nation about a disaster for the first time in his life. He is 77 years old.
UPDATE: The statement by the Chief Cabinet Minister that the #3 reactor vessel was damaged has been retracted. If it’s true that the vessel is intact, this is relatively good news if only a minor relief. It’s now speculated that the smoke coming from reactor #3 is from overheated spent fuel rods. While still terrible, a hole anywhere in the #3 vessel would be worse.
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