Possible 'Hole in Reactor' Raised During Fukushima Accident in Japan

NHK "Supporting Evidence for Estimated Tokyo Electric Power Filming Footage"

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported at the Nuclear Regulation Authority meeting on the 24th that there is a high possibility that a hole was made in the bottom of Reactor 1, where a core meltdown occurred during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, NHK reported.

TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant where the accident occurred, deployed a robot inside the containment vessel of Reactor 1 last month and captured images directly beneath the reactor for the first time since the nuclear accident. Based on the footage, they identified areas where devices attached to the reactor floor were not visible and appeared as black spaces, suggesting that some devices may have fallen off, creating holes.

Reactor 1 is believed to have had its reactor floor pierced as the nuclear fuel melted rapidly due to the tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake, which prevented fuel cooling. NHK reported that this footage supports that assumption.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.