WRAPUP 2-Japan struggles with nuclear accident; tsunami victims suffer

> * Nuclear accident not as bad as Three Mile Island or Chernobyl - Japan nuclear agency * Japan says radiation levels lessening - IAEA * More than 1,800 seen dead, missing after quake and tsunami * Huge trail of devastation along Japan's northeast coast By Chris Meyers and Kim Kyung-hoon FUKUSHIMA, Japan, March 13 (Reuters) - Japan battled twin disasters on Sunday, trying to contain a radiation leak at a crippled nuclear plant while rescue teams searched desperately for survivors from a massive earthquake and tsunami. Thousands huddled over heaters in emergency shelters through another freezing night along the northeastern coast, a scene of devastation after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake sent a 10-metre (33-foot) tsunami surging through towns and cities. Kyodo news agency said the number of dead or unaccounted for as a result of the quake and tsunami was expected to exceed 1,800. It also reported there had been no contact with around 10,000 people in one small town, more than half its population. An explosion severely damaged the main building of the nuclear plant on Saturday in the wake of the earthquake, and authorities said radiation had leaked from the facility, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.

"Thousands huddled over heaters in emergency shelters through another freezing night along the northeastern coast, a scene of devastation after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake sent a 10-metre (33-foot) tsunami surging through towns and cities"The government insisted radiation levels were low, saying the blast had not affected the reactor core container, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been told by Japan that levels "have been observed to lessen in recent hours". Still, 140,000 people had been evacuated from areas near the plant and another nuclear facility nearby while authorities prepared to distribute iodine to people in the vicinity to protect them from radioactive exposure. Workers pumped seawater into the reactor to cool it. "There is radiation leaking out, and since the possibility (of being exposed) is high, it's quite scary," said Masanori Ono, 17, standing in line on Saturday to be scanned for radiation at an evacuation centre in Fukushima prefecture. And a new threat emerged, as Japan's nuclear power safety agency said another reactor at the stricken plant had lost its cooling system and urgently needed water.

The number of people exposed to radiation from the plant could reach 160, it said. 1 2 3 Next Stocks Currencies Bonds News Bonds Global Markets United Nations Cyclical Consumer Goods Utilities Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints