Japan crisis: third explosion raises spectre of nuclear nightmare - Gordon Rayner and Martin Evans

A huge explosion hit another reactor at an earthquake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant early Tuesday, the third blast since Saturday, the plant operator said.

"There was a huge explosion" between 6:00 am (2100 GMT Monday) and 6:15 am at the number-two reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, a Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) spokesman said.

The government also reported apparent damage to part of the container shielding the same reactor at Fukushima 250 kilometres (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo, although it was unclear whether this resulted from the blast.

Note EU-Digest : In Tokyo, 170 miles south of the plant, the metropolitan government said on Tuesday that it had detected radiation levels 20 times above normal over the city. In Ibaraki prefecture, just south of Fukushima prefecture where the plant is located, the amount of radiation reached 100 times the usual levels.

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