Japan earthquake causes nuclear plant leak

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Source: CCTV.com | 07-17-2007 08:38

Rescue workers look for survivors at a collapsed house in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, July 16, 2007. Seven people were killed, over 730 people were injured in a magnitude 6.8 earthquake which rocked Niigata prefecture of central western Japan and surrounding areas on Monday morning.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

An earthquake on Japan's northwest coast has led to a radiation leak at the world's biggest nuclear power plant. Monday's tremor that measured 6.8 has killed seven people. Another 900 were injured.

Another earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale rocked Japan Monday night. The epicenter, was about 200 kilometers away from Kyoto. There's no report of casualties yet.

Monday's quake caused a small radiation leak and sparked a fire at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in the Niigata prefecture. Three major generators in the nuclear plant have been shut down. 1.5 liters of radioactive water leaked from a unit closed for maintenance. The contaminated water was released into the ocean.

The quake also caused power failures in over 50 thousand homes in Niigata and Nagano. Several parts of a highway in Niigata were closed. Niigata airport shut down its runways immediately after the quake to check for damage.

An emergency management center has been set up to handle the quake. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rushed to the area Monday afternoon. He says the government will do its best to reconstruct and restore the infrastructure as soon as possible.

A major earthquake hit Niigata prefecture in 2004, killing more than 60 people and injuring nearly 5,000.