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A third explosion in four days rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan early Tuesday, the country's nuclear safety agency said. Some workers were reportedly told to leave the site, and there are reports of rising radiation levels nearby, although authorities insist the situation is under control.
The blast at Dai-ichi Unit 2 followed two hydrogen explosions at the plant - the latest on Monday - as authorities struggle to prevent the catastrophic release of radiation in the area devastated by a tsunami.
The cascading troubles in the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant compounded the immense challenges faced by the Tokyo government, already struggling to send relief to hundreds of thousands of people along the country's quake- and tsunami-ravaged coast where at least 10,000 people are believed to have died.
Japanese nuclear authorities insist they are in control, reports CBS News correspondent Celia Hatton. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the situation will not turn in to another Chernobyl.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government is setting up a joint response headquarters at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s main office to better manage the crisis.
Later, a top Japanese official said the fuel rods in all three of the most troubled nuclear reactors appeared to be melting.
The troubles at the Dai-ichi complex began when Friday's massive quake and tsunami in Japan's northeast knocked out power, crippling cooling systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from melting down.
The latest explosion was heard at 6:10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Nuclear Safety Agency said at a news conference. The plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said the explosion occurred near the suppression pool in the reactor's containment vessel. The pool was later found to have a defect.
International scientists have said there are serious dangers but not at the level of the 1986 blast in Chernobyl. Japanese authorities were injecting seawater as a coolant of last resort, and advising nearby residents to stay inside to avoid contamination.
Tokyo Electric Power said some employees of the power plant were temporarily evacuated following Tuesday morning's blast.
The accidents - injuring 15 workers and military personnel and exposing up to 190 people to elevated radiation - have compounded the immense challenges faced by the Tokyo government.
The crisis also has raised global concerns about the safety of such reactors at a time when they have enjoyed a resurgence as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Japanese authorities said there have been no large-scale radiation releases, but have detected temporary elevations in levels, and have evacuated tens of thousands of people from around affected reactors. Prevailing winds were pointing out to sea, and U.S. ships assisting tsunami recovery moved further way to avoid potential danger.
CBS
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