The UN's nuclear watchdog says it has been informed by Japanese authorities that a fire at the plant's Reactor Number 4 appears to have gone out. But several reactors are still in critical condition. Reactor Number 4 caught fire at 5:45 this morning local time after a blast blew a hole in the building housing it.

The radiation rating has since gone up. This is the picture of Reactor Number 4 on Tuesday after a previous explosion.

This is the external wall of the building. The lower part of the structure has exploded. You can see the interior of the building. Part of the ceiling of the building has also been destroyed.

The Number 3 reactor exploded two days ago. When the earthquake struck, Number 4 was shut down. People within a radius of 30-kilometer of the nuclear facility have been urged to stay indoors.

Before the explosion workers had been struggling to cool down a storage pool for spent nuclear fuel rods inside the building. These same workers have been instructed not to approach Reactor Number 4 anymore as high radiation levels are now being reported in the vicinity.

vivi笔记:

nuclear watchdog:国际原子能机构
Reactor Number 4:4号反应堆
critical condition:临界状态
external wall:外墙
nuclear facility:核装置
storage pool:贮水池
nuclear fuel rods:核燃料棒

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