Efforts Continue Round the Clock at Nuke Crisis-plagued Fukushima

The Japanese government is making all-out efforts in a bid to fend off the worst cenario threatening the striken nuclear plants in Fukushima Prefecture hit by the mega quake and tsunami on March 11.

On Saturday morning, the Anti-Disaster Unit of Fukushima Prefecture that comprises of 12 relevant departments held a session some 70 km away from the nuke stations, on the impact of radiation leaks and refugee settlement.

About 200-300 members from the Self-Defence Forces, fire fighters, police and the staff of Tokyo Electric Power Company that operates the nuclear stations are seen at the No. 1 nuclear plant of the Fukushima complex, rushing back and forth with pumps and instrument, monitoring the latest radiation level, recording the data of the temperature within the containment vessel, sharing updated information about the state of the crippled cooling systems, as they battle against the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl calamity in 1986.

The nuclear safety agency officials that have spent several days in jittery are also busy discussing contingency plans to avert a possible meltdown of the nuclear plants, following the annoucement of raising the level of the crisis to 5 on a 7-level international scale.

Walking on the street of Fukushima, Xinhua reporters found that the atmosphere here is relatively calm. Most of the locals departed for other places or dwelled in shelters, after a series of explosions at the nuclear plants spewed a significant volume of radioactive elements into the environment.

Those choosing to remain here are confident of the Japanese government. Young people are wearing masks to protect themselves, but many older people come out with no protective measures. They said they are not scared and they believe with the help with the international community, the government could handle the crisis.

Despite widespread power shortage, a few gas stations here are still functioning, leading to a long line-up outside them. Outside the desolated railway station, some cab drivers are waiting for rare visitors.

One of them told Xinhua that their homes have been damaged in the quake and their lives have been turned upside-down, what's more, if the situation deteriorates, the city would become a pronoun for nuke, and this is not just a nightmare haunting the more than 300,000 Fukushima residents.

The National Police Agency said Saturday that the catastrophic earthquake and ensuing tsunami have left 7,197 people dead and 10, 905 others unaccounted for in Japan by 9:00 AM.