The Japanese authorities on Tuesday ordered the injection of water into the spent nuclear fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor at Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Kyodo news reported.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said it has not yet confirmed the water levels in the pool storing the spent fuel rods but hinted that they may have fallen, leading to an exposure of the rods.
Radiation levels spiked around the plant on Tuesday morning after a fire broke out at reactor No. 4, preceded by a powerful blast at reactor No. 2. The government announced a no-fly zone over the plant to avoid the spread of radiation.
Similar blasts previously ripped through reactors No. 1 and 3.
The death toll from Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami currently stands at more than 3,000 people, but officials fear it could exceed 10,000.
MOSCOW, March 15 (RIA Novosti)
