Radioactive water leaks from Japan reactor

Four workers came into contact with radioactive coolant water at a Japanese nuclear power plant.

Four workers came into contact with radioactive coolant water at a Japanese nuclear power plant, but the operator said on Monday that there had been no effect on their health or on the environment from the leak.

HT Image

The incident at Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama plant in the western prefecture of Fukui took place on Sunday afternoon during a regular inspection while the unit was shut, the company said.

Just last week, Kansai Electric restarted the No. 3 nuclear power generation unit at its Mihama plant for commercial operations after a shutdown following Japan's worst-ever nuclear power plant accident more than two years ago.

In the August 2004 accident, hot water and steam leaking from a broken pipe at the plant killed five workers.