Another 100 metric tons of highly contaminated water overflowed after a valve had mistakenly been left open said operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco).
“We are taking various measures, but we apologise for worrying the public with such a leak,” said Masayuki Ono, a spokesman for the utility. “Water is unlikely to have reached the ocean as there is no drainage in that tank area.”The leak, considered a level three, or “serious incident,” on the seven-point international scale for radiological releases, adds to criticism of the utility’s response to the three nuclear meltdowns that followed the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Last week, a nuclear regulatory official said Tepco had postponed the release of record-high measurements of highly radioactive strontium-90 in the groundwater, despite repeated requests.
Source: Reuters
