South Korea will send boric acid to Japan to help cope with the possible nuclear crisis triggered by last week’s massive earthquake and tsunami, the South Korean Yonhap news agency said citing the country’s government.
Boric acid can slow down nuclear fission reactions and help contain radiation.
Large parts of eastern Japan were left devastated after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast on Friday, sparking a powerful tsunami. A series of aftershocks have since caused blasts and fires at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Complex, raising fears of a nuclear meltdown.
A fire broke out in reactor No. 3 at Japan’s quake-damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant on Wednesday morning. The blaze followed two fires at reactor No. 4 and hydrogen blasts at reactors 1, 2 and 3.
Japanese media reported a new fire at the Fukushima plant early on Wednesday. Local television showed white smoke pouring from the No.4 reactor mid-morning.
The previous fire at the 4th reactor of the plant on Tuesday resulted in a radiation leak.
Japanese authorities suspended on Wednesday operations to prevent a possible nuclear meltdown after a surge in radiation made it too dangerous for workers to remain at the facility.
The government also evacuated all residents within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima plant as well as the workers at the plant and announced a no-fly zone over it to avoid the spread of radiation.
Fears of a large-scale nuclear disaster remain high in Japan as the country continues desperate efforts to contain the looming crisis.
More than 3,600 people died and over 7,500 are missing and about 1,990 people have been injured in the wake of a series of natural disasters that hit Japan last week, police reported on Wednesday
MOSCOW, March 16 (RIA Novosti)