Power hopes at nuke complex, radiation detected in food supply

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Tokyo, Mar 19 : Engineers today managed to restore power at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear plants in northeastern Japan that is vital to reactivate the crippled cooling system of the overheated atomic fuel, amid concerns over excessive radiation detected in food supply.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) which owns and runs the plants, said it had been able to connect power cables to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactor buildings so as to cool down the overheating spent fuel.
Meanwhile, a strong quake with 6.1 magnitude rocked Ibaraki Prefecture and its vicinity in the Kanto region and the Tohoku region at 6:56 p.m. (local time), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake was also felt in Tokyo and other metropolitan area, the Kyodo news agency said.
There was no immediate report of any damage on nuclear facilities in Ibaraki, the government said, adding no tsunami warning was issued.
As Japanese authorities took vital steps to restore the power supply at the Daiichi nuclear power plant, new concerns emerged about excessive radiation found in milk and spinach in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.
Yukio Edano, Chief Cabinet Secretary, told a press conference that the detected radiation was above Japan''s regulated standards.
However, he said it does not immediately pose a risk to human health.
There was a glimmer of hope with engineers restoring power at one of the crippled reactors and firefighters stepping up the spraying of water at the plant in a desperate attempt to avert a meltdown.
TEPCO said the No. 2 reactor is expected to receive power tomorrow.
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told a press conference that an examination showed the surface temperatures at the No. 1 to No. 4 reactors at 100 C or lower and that their conditions remain stable than expected.
Edano said the condition of the No. 3 reactor has become relatively stable following the water discharge and that the SDF is now preparing to spray water into the No. 4 reactor to cool its spent fuel pool.
"We are trying to get things under control, but we are still in an unpredictable situation," he was quoted as saying by the Japanese news agency.
The accident severity level at the plant was raised from four to five on the 7-point international scale by Japan''s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, placing the crisis two levels below Ukrain''s 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
More than a week after the tragedy, the number of dead and missing in the quake disaster exceeded 18,000 -- 7,197 deaths and 10,905 unaccounted for, according to the National Police Agency.
It said 3,090 bodies have been identified so far, of which around 1,550 have been handed over to the their families.