Disaster in Japan: March 16 Live Blog

Disaster in Japan: March 16 Live Blog

Follow the latest events around the Pacific Rim after an 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's coast triggered a devastating tsunami.

Blog: Mar11-12 - Mar13 - Mar14 - Mar15

(All times are local in Japan GMT+9)

• Timestamp: 

  11:59pm

  That's it for today's live blog - but you can keep up to date with all the latest as it happens on our brand new liveblog for March 17. Click here to read it.

• Timestamp: 

  11:58pm

  Andriy Chudinov, one of the first workers to get to the Chernobyl disaster site - the world's worst ever nuclear accident - has applauded the crisis workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant.

  These are good guys. After all, they have had it even worse than we did. They had a tsunami first and now there are several reactors with problems. That's a nightmare for any atomic worker.

  Most of the 64-year-old's colleagues died soon after they were exposed to huge levels of radioactive material following the 1986 blast. The Chernobyl accident released 400times the amount of radiation as that released in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

• Timestamp: 

  11:37pm

  After the devastation wrought on the north-east coast, Japanese citizens in areas which escaped the brunt of the earthquake and tsunami are scrambling to help their compatriots.

  Residents of Niigata city have so far collected around 100,000kg of spare food supplies to donate to shelters on the east coast.

  Tomohide Nozawa, a 25-year-old student, said:

  I heard the news about donations from my friends. I am here to give away supplies that are not immediately necessary for me, to give away what I can.

  Genki Hoshino, the 27-year-old organiser of the city's donation campaign, added:

  Through media we can witness the seriousness of the disaster and the ever-growing number of casualties - and we feel that people's emotions are getting stronger to try and help out more.

  If you'd like to join Tomohide and Genki in donating to those in need, click here.

• Timestamp: 

  11:33pm

  Russia's state nuclear corporation says the crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant "is reaching the worst case scenario".

• Timestamp: 

  11:26pm

  The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan has been credited (or blamed) for a rise in support for Germany's Green Party.

  Suport for the anti-nuclear greens has risen three per cent to 18 per cent in just a week, ahead of three state elections.

  Meanwhile, Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats are also being squeezed from the right, as conservatives and business leaders demand a reversal of yesterday's decision not to extend the operating lives of aging nuclear power stations.

• Timestamp: 

  11:13pm

  Japanese families wait in line to eat dinner at a centre for the homeless in Kesennuma, Miyagi province.

  Tens of thousands of people, possibly hundreds of thousands, have been made homeless by the earthquake and tsunami, while more than a million households remain without water, power or heating.

  And the snow continues to fall.

  

• Timestamp: 

  10:55pm

  Japanese emperor Akihito has given a rare television address to the nation, in which he described the catastrophe to have befallen the nation as "unprecedented in scale".

  The 77-year-old said he was "deeply worried" about the situation at the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, in an appearance which interrupted scheduled programming. He urged survivors "not to abandon hope":

   

  I am deeply hurt by the grievous situation in the affected areas. The number of deceased and missing increases by the day and we cannot know how many victims there will be. My hope is that as many people possible are found safe.
  
  I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times.

• Timestamp: 

  10:30pm

  To put that last note into perspective - there are only 19 nuclear reactors currently being built across the whole of Europe.

  China has 13 reactors, whereas the EU hosts some 196.

• Timestamp: 

  10:16am

  China is suspending its development of nuclear power plants amid rising public anxiety. As the country's economy develops rapidly, nuclear power had been seen as key to delivering the nation's energy infrastructure.

  Some 28 reactors - or 40 per cent of the world's total under construction - are being built in China. The country's current capacity is 10.8 gigawatts, though analysts expected a target of up to 80GW in the coutnry's new five-year plan due at the end of this month.

• Timestamp: 

  10:10am

  Japan's football fixtures against Montenegro and New Zealand have been cancelled due to the devastation in the country.

  The friendlies were due to take place at the end of March.

• Timestamp: 

  10:05pm

  Japanese rescue workers who may be exposed to high levels of radiation may be flown to Europe for treatment, if there is no room for them in Japanese hospitals, the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation has offered.

  A spokesman said:

  Japan is more competent than any European country when it comes to radiation treatment, but they are dealing with an awful lot right now and so we made this offer and are ready to help if they blow the whistle.

  After a person has been radiated, you have three to four days before they're on the cusp of severe complications. At that point they could be put on a flight to Europe if Japanese facilities are overwhelmed.

   

  As many as 500 bone marrow transplant centres across 27 European countries have been put on alert and could treat 200 to 300 patients if necessary.

  The European plans were drawn up in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.

• Timestamp: 

  9:57pm

  Steff Gaulter, Al Jazeera's senior meteorologist, tweets:

  No of #aftershocks in #Japan still falling. 00-12GMT on Sat, there were 49 aftershocks of mag 5.0 or higher. Sun:26. Mon:17. Tue:10. Today:7

  You can follow her: @WeatherSteff

• Timestamp: 

  9:50pm

  Uncertainty remains over the World figure skating championships, due to begin in Tokyo on Monday.

  Officials will decide by Friday on whether to cancel the contest or to postpone until October. "Respect for the Japanese people" will govern the decision, International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta.

• Timestamp: 

  8:50pm

  Japan's disaster appears to be growing worse. It is a now a nation fighting against the odds on several fronts. 

  Al Jazeera's Nazanin Sadri reports.

• Timestamp: 

  7:35pm

  Al Jazeera speaks to Imad Ghadduri, a nuclear scientist.

• Timestamp: 

  7:27pm

  Geraldine Thomas of Imperial college of London told Al Jazeera, "People in Tokyo should not be worrying as much as they seem to be.
  
  "There is no evidence at the moment that it is going to be a Chernobyl-like disaster."

• Timestamp: 

  7:24pm

  Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas has reported from Osaka that "There are so many reactors that have been damaged at that one site.
  
  "But what is worrying that there is now seems to be reactor number 3 is showing high levels of radiation.

  "There is a very reserved anxiety, and many many people are leaving the country."

• Timestamp: 

  7:05pm

  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports on the latest situation in Japan.

• Timestamp: 

  6:54pm

  Al Jazeera's D.Parvaz (@dparvaz)blogs from Tokyo on how the Japanese are trying to move away from the path of radioactive winds - Read it here Trying to outrun radiation

• Timestamp: 

  6:49pm

  The crisis in Japan has hit the nuclear power industry worldwide, as governments order safety checks.

  Angela Merkel, German chancellor says all seven of the country's nuclear power plants which began operating before 1980, will be shut down for checks.

  She also confirmed that France and Germany have agreed to put nuclear safety on the G20 agenda.

  And the European Union is calling for so-called "stress tests" on all 143 nuclear reactors across Europe, in response to what the EU energy chief describes as an "apocalypse" in Japan.

• Timestamp: 

  6:17pm

  Japan's chief cabinet secretary has warned that while they're now dousing the plant with water, it has to be done with caution.

   

  We got advice from experts to spray water from above, but depending on the situation in the storage pool, we may cause some risk if we pour water in large amounts in a very short time. So we have to analyse the risks.

• Timestamp: 

  6:15pm

  Workers have now returned to the nuclear power station having earlier left because of a rise in radiation levels.

• Timestamp: 

  6:14pm

   

  Over the past couple of hours, military Chinook helicopters have been airlifting water to Fukushima nuclear power station.

   Water bombs have been dropped onto the site of the fire in reactor 4. But NHK says that the mission has been abandoned.

• Timestamp: 

  6:13pm

  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports that "US is saying that its citizens can stay in Japan but should follow advice of the government."

• Timestamp: 

  5:22pm

  Joi Ito (@Joi) blogs about how the change of location of workers at Fukushima plant was misreported as 'evacuation' -as it simply got lost in translation - here is Joi's blog post

  This morning at 8:30AM March 16 JST Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano held a press conference to talk about the smoke billowing from Reactor 3 at Fukushima.
  
  At this press conference, he explained that the radiation levels spiked and that TEPCO staff would be temporarily moved to "a safe region". He probably should have said "location" as Hiroko Tabuchi pointed out to me.
  
  The foreign press misunderstood this and started reporting that the TEPCO staff had evacuated the reactor causing a broad panic. Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times  contacted the Nuclear Industry Safety Agency and TEPCO directly to clarify and confirmed that they had not in fact been evacuated, but just moved temporarily to a safer area during the spike.
  
  Jun Seita then reported that as of 11:30AM, NHK was reporting that the staff were back to work.
  
  The frustrating thing was that once this corrosive and sensational misinformation was in the main stream media via the wires, it was very hard to get them to fix it.
  
  Al Jazeera was the first that I saw to edit their news story to reflect that indeed they had not been evacuated.
  
  At the same press conference Edano accidentally said 1000 millisievert instead of 1000 microsieverts causing further confusion in the media.

   

• Timestamp: 

  5:07pm

  Two of the United States' most important nuclear power plants - the San Onofre plant and the plant at Diablo Canyon - are both built in active earthquake zones.
  
  One sits along the coast, while the other is along a geological faultline.
  
  In the wake of Japan's earthquake and tsunami - and fears of a radioactive meltdown there - nuclear industry officials in the US have reassured the public that there is nothing to worry about on home soil.
  
  But environmental groups have restated that nuclear power comes at an often steep price.
  
  Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Southern California.

• Timestamp: 

  4:45pm

  Reporting on the humanitarian crisis following Japan's twin disaster, Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports that "The worst affected areas are largely north of Fukushima, and with the prevailing winds heading south and eastwards, which means that there are not, so far, too many fears of high levels of radiation, in that part of the country.
  
  "So the very large scale rescue effort continues, we have seen huge convoys of military vehicles, fire engines, ambulances, moving around that area.

  "And out there are efforts to try to get food and water and fuel to people out there who are stranded.
  
  "But it has really been dwarfed by the scale of what happened, there are many people who are very much cut off and earlier on Wednesday there was a lot of snow in the area as well.
  
  "And an indication of just how short people are of supplies, having lost their homes and their entire towns in some instances, they have been boiling that snow water for drinking water."

• Timestamp: 

  4:32pm

  Reporting on Japan's nuclear crisis, Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett says that "We are told that the temperature of water in which the nuclear rods are kept should be at 40 degrees celsius, it was up to 84 degrees celsius and rising.

  "So the situation is far from being cooled down, in fact it is heating up."

• Timestamp: 

  4:19pm

  Japanese government suspects that containment vessel at unit three may be damaged.

• Timestamp: 

  4:08pm

  Central Bank of Japan pours money into markets for third day, offering $43 billion - The Wall Street Journal reports that the central bank is likely to take more steps to stabilise markets.

• Timestamp: 

  3:57pm

  According to Reuters news agency, most economists now believe that the Japanese economy, which had been starting to recover when the earthquake struck, will contract in the second quarter of 2011.
  
  A few economists also flagged the risk of a prolonged disruption to consumers and companies and a decline in economic output through 2011 should power outages persist until December.

• Timestamp: 

  3:52pm

  A Chinese news agency says more than 2,000 Chinese have been evacuated from Japan's northeast following radiation leaks at a nuclear power plant.
  
  The China News Service quoted a spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, Deng Wei, as saying that more than 2,000 people were evacuated from Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and others.

• Timestamp: 

  3:36pm

   

  Acording to Kyodo news agency, workers at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have been moved to a bunker at the site after a rise in radiation levels.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  3:31pm

  Winds staying W/NW in Fukushima for the time being,clearing any radiation to the SW. Gusts expected over 50kph at times. Snow continues to fall.

• Timestamp: 

  3:28pm

  
  Fears of the possible spread of radiation is causing unease in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. Despite assurances from the government, several companies are evacuating staff, and many citizens are leaving the city.
  
  Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas reports.

• Timestamp: 

  3:19pm

  Jim Green of Friends of the Earth told Al Jazeera, "It is likely that there has been degradation and melting of some fuel,  the Japanese government does not have a handle on the situation... it is a situation out of control.
  
  "The fuel is gradually cooling down so as each day passes, cooling gets easier. This will help avoid further melting and degradation.
  
  "We should spare a thought for remaining 50 or so worklers on the site who are being exposed to serious doses of radioactive material."

• Timestamp: 

  3:04pm

  One of the main concerns over the nuclear plant is the damage radiation can do to the human body.
  
  

  • 1. A single dose of 1,000 milli-sieverts, or radiation units, affects the intestinal tract causing nausea and vomiting

  • 2. At higher levels, radioactive iodine can destroy parts or all of the thyroid

  • 3. Intense exposure to radioactive material from 10,000 milli-sieverts per hour would do immediate damage to small blood vessels and probably cause heart failure

  • 4. Cancer is the biggest long term risk.
• Timestamp: 

  2:55pm

  IAEA: No fly zone imposed for 30 km area around Japans Fukushima nuclear plant.

• Timestamp: 

  2:52pm

  TS Gopi Rethinaraj, a nuclear scientist, tells Al Jazeera, "It will take at least 3 or 4 days to get a definite idea of this emergency (nuclear) situation.

  "The pathways are difficult to determine because the reactor itself is a very complex device.
  
  "But we should take assurance from the fact that - will not be any worse than the Chernobyl accident.
  
  "It is a very peculiar situation, compared to other countries, these nuclear reactors are operating under unique seismic conditions.
  
  "It is the first time in history that the accident was triggered by an external disaster, so in future, countries will need to be sensitive about pwhere the reactors are placed."

• Timestamp: 

  2:46pm

  As tales of devastation continue to emerge from Japan, one national broadcaster travelled to some of the worst hit areas to meet those struggling to recover from the diasater.
  
  Here is the story of one fisherman as he picks through the remains of his life.

• Timestamp: 

  2:33pm

  
  Al Jazeera's correspondent, Harry Fawcett reports from Akita, Japan, "White smoke is rising from the Fukushima facility, where the remaining workers have had to stop their efforts to contain the crisis.
  
  "Earlier the operating company said it had seen flames at unit four. Officials are also considering dropping water, or boric acid, by helicopter to control the flames."

• Timestamp: 

  2:24pm

  Japan has ordered workers to leave the Fukushima nuclear plant as radiation rises to dangerous levels.
  
  The station has seen a series of explosions following Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

• Timestamp: 

  2:17pm

  French embassy in Japan urges citizens to leave the country or head south.

• Timestamp: 

  2:12pm

  Japan raises the official death toll for Friday's earthquake and tsunami to 3,570 and authorities say that there are thousands still missing.

• Timestamp: 

  2:07pm

  A Japanese girl waits in a food line at an evacuation center in Fukushima city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, on March16.

  

  [EPA photo]

• Timestamp: 

  12:00am

  Yukio Edano, the chief cabinet secretary, held a brief conference about the nuclear situation, these are the key points.
  
  - An appeal not to panic buy fuel especially in areas not affected by the quake, they think the containment vessel on Reactor No3 has been damaged 
   
  - Radioaction levels have fluctuated throughout the day, at one point all staff were evacuated for safety due to a dramtic increase in radiation at the front gate.
   
  - Tempratures are rising in reactors number 5/6 and in the spent fuel rod tank in reactor no 4.
   
  - They are considering the option of spraying water onto the heating reactors from the air.There are issues getting water into Reactor numbe 4 containment pool.
   
  

• Timestamp: 

  11:30am

  Al Jazeera's Wayne Hays reporting from Akita.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  11:00am

  Al Jazeera's Wayne Hays reporting from Akita, said that there are conflicting reports on whether the situation is under control, some media reports that the fire is under control, we are awaiting Japanese official response for confirmation.

  There are concerns about nuclear reactors number 5 and six, the cooling system are not working properly there.

• Timestamp: 

  10:33am

  Blaze at Unit 4 of Fukushima Daiichi plant complicates problems that began with last week's quake and tsunami havoc.

  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Kitakami, in northern Japan.
  
  
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  9:22am

  Nathi Ngubane, a scholar from the Open Air School for the physically challenged in South Africa submitted this cartoon in solidarity with the Japanese people.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  7:05am

  Al Jazeera's Steve Chao, reporting from Akita, tells us:

  A fire has once again broken out at the No.4 reactor at Fukushima - the reactor that has been responsible for pumping out the high levels of radioactivity, which prompted government to issue that warning for those within 30km to stay indoors.

  Yesterday, Tepco asked US military officials for help putting out that fire - we're not sure how they're going to put this fire out.

  Yesterday, we heard from Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who we're told believed Tepco was hiding information from state officials, and there's a concern among people that they're not being told the full truth about what's going on.

  It is of critical concern.

  There's concern here as well that the nuclear fallout may reach here, on the other side of Japan. Everyone is watching wind directions. At the moment, it is blowing out to the east, to the sea - but if it blows south, Tokyo is just 250km away.

• Timestamp: 

  6:35am

  Japan's nuclear safety committee say radiation levels of 400 millisieverts an hour had been recorded near Fukushima's No.4 reactor earlier today.

  Exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer, says to the World Nuclear Association.

  Radiation levels in Tokyo, 250km south of the crippled plant, remain normal.

• Timestamp: 

  6:20am

  More than half a million people have evacuated their homes and are staying in shelters. In Rikuzentakata, one girl carries her belongings as the army move in to assist the recovery effort.

  

  [Picture: GALLO/GETTY]

• Timestamp: 

  5:59am

  Just before midnight, we reported that the ongoing crisis at Fukushima nuclear plant had been upgraded to a level 6 on the 7-point International Nuclear Events Scale. Andre-Claude Lacoste, president of France's ASN nuclear safety authority said:

  We are now in a situation that is different from yesterday's. It is very clear that we are at a level six, which is an intermediate level between what happened at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

  We are clearly in a catastrophe

  Meanwhile, the US-based Institute for Science and International Security said the situation had "worsened
  considerably" and that "it may unfortunately reach a level 7 event".

  A level 6 event means that consequences are broader and countermeasures are needed to deal with the radioactive contamination.

  A level 7 event would constitute a larger release of radioactive material, and would require further extended countermeasures.

  The international community should step up assistance to Japan, said the thinktank. A level 7 event has only been declared once - for the Chernobyl disaster, which killed 56 - and released 400 times the radioactive material than had been in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

• Timestamp: 

  5:45am

  Two workers are missing at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant after yesterday's explosion, says Japan's nuclear safety agency.

  The employees have not yet been identified, but it's understood they were in the turbine area of the No.4 reactor when a fire broke out.

  An agency official also told reporters there is now a crack in the roof of the reactor building, where workers are desperately trying to prevent the radioactive cores of the plant's reactors overheating - which would lead to the release of dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere.

• Timestamp: 

  5:35am

  After explosions and fires at the 40-year-old Fukushima nuclear power plant, fears are growing over the impact of radiation leaks.
  
  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Kitakami, in northern Japan.

   

• Timestamp: 

  5:25am

  After several Japanese carmarkers suspended production following the disasters, Toyota and Subaru are halting some production at North American factories - to assess availability of parts.

  Subaru of America says it has suspended overtime at its plant in Lafayette, Indiana. The plant, Subaru's only North American factory, employs 3,500 workers and built 150,000 vehicles last year, including the Outback and Tribeca wagons and the Legacy sedan.

  Toyota is suspending overtime and production on Saturdays at all of its North American plants to assess the availability of car parts.

  Both are trying to conserve parts after the huge earthquake and tsunami, which is disrupting shipments from Japan to the US.

  Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda say their North American plants have not been affected so far.

• Timestamp: 

  4:57am

  Official death toll now stands at 3,373. Tens of thousands still missing.

• Timestamp: 

  4:51am

  Tokyo Electric Power Company are considering the removal of panels from the No.5 and No.6 reactors at its damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant to prevent any hydrogen build-up, says the IAEA.

  It was a build-up of hydrogen at the plant's 1-3 units that had led to previous explosions at the complex, said the agency - the UN's nuclear watchdog, which added:

  Units 5 and 6 were shut down at the time of the earthquake but both reactors are currently loaded with fuel.

  When the nuclear fuel rods become exposed and superheated, the water poured onto them - to cool them - can turn to steam before it comes into contact with the rods - this produces hydrogen, raising pressure in the reactor core.

• Timestamp: 

  4:29am

  We've got a new map online, which you can interact with by clicking here. It gives you geo-tagged tweets, YouTube videos, Ushahidi reports - and earthquake sites, news reports, seismic data... and photos. Check it out.

  

• Timestamp: 

  4:20am

  In one of the most technologically literate countries on Earth, people look to traditional ways of communications after the earthquake and tsunami wiped out much of the nation's infrastructure.

  

  [Picture: Reuters]

• Timestamp: 

  4:01am

  Kyodo news agency has quoted the Japanese prime minister as losing his temper at executives of the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear power facility operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company. In a phone call, he reportedly shouted at them:

  The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier's office for about an hour ...

  What the hell is going on?
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  3:56am

  Naoto Kan, Japan's prime minister, addressed the nation late yesterday. He said:

  The possibility of further radioactive leakage is heightening ... We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know that people are very worried but I would like to ask you to act calmly.

• Timestamp: 

  3:46am

  More on Fukushima's No.2 reactor. Yukiya Amano, the IAEA chief, told reporters there was "a possibility of core damage" - estimated at less than five per cent of the fuel.

  He said there was also possible damage to the bottom of the primary containment vessel. He told reporters:

  Is it a crack? Is it a hole? Is it nothing? That we don't know yet.

  He said the pressure in the vessel had not dropped dramatically - which would have happened if there was a large hole in the container.

  The has also been a fire at a spent fuel pond at another reactor on the site, he confirmed.

• Timestamp: 

  3:15am

  With entire towns destroyed, the desperate search for tens of thousands of missing people goes on. The military has seen its largest mobilisation in decades in an attempt to find survivors amid the devastation.
  
  Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports from north-east Japan.

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:58am

  As calls in Libya continue to grow for a no-fly zone to be imposed there ahead of a UN Security Council meeting, the IAEA has announced a 30km-radius no-fly zone around the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclar power plant in north-east Japan.

  Catch up on our Libya coverage, by clicking here.

• Timestamp: 

  2:41am

  Our online coverage of Japan's disaster has now been gathered together, so you can read our ongoing in-depth coverage all in one place. Click here to see if there's anthing you missed.

  

• Timestamp: 

  2:23am

  While prayer vigils are held to commemorate the victims of the earthquake and tsunami, Indian officials announce they will test foodstuffs imported from Japan for radioactivity.

  Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines have already ordered similar tests.

• Timestamp: 

  2:15am

  A Buddhist monk helps a man in Mumbai, India, light a candle during a vigil held to pay respect to those killed in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

  

  [Picture: Reuters]

• Timestamp: 

  1:55am

  Europe's energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has dubbed Japan's nuclear disaster an "apocalypse", saying Tokyo had almost lost control of events at the Fukushima power plant.

• Timestamp: 

  1:45am

  The Japanese MotoGP - originally planned for April 24 - has been postponed until October, the International Motorcycling Federation has announced.

  Honda Racing Corporation head Shuhei Nakamoto said the course had suffered in the disasters that have struck Japan.

  Motegi has some circuit and grandstand damage. It will take some weeks to repair everything.

• Timestamp: 

  1:38am

  That "group of scientists" has been named as the Union of Concerned Scientists, a coalition of 200,000 academics and private citizens, including Nobel-prize winning scientists.

  They said the radiation plume from the Fukushima nuclear power plant could reach Tokyo, and that a
  "jerry-rigged" cooling system at the plant would be hard to maintain if all workers there were evacuated.

  Nuclear power and safety experts at the group said they were "very concerned" that ongoing activities at the plant would become more challenging for on-site workers. A larger radiation plume could travel hundreds of miles, the scientists said in a telephone briefing.

  A crack in the containment vessel - which the IAEA said may have been damaged by yesterdy's explosion - could allow radiation to exit the reactor in case of a core meltdown, they added.

  They concluded that the Japanese government should extend the evacuation zone around the troubled station.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  1:13am

  Tokyo Electric Power Co says levels of cooling water at the No.2 reactor of its Fukushima nuclear power plant are recovering smoothly, after fuel rods were fully exposed yesterday.

• Timestamp: 

  1:06am

  The EU says it will conduct 'stress tests' on its nuclear plants, says AFP.

  There are currently 195 nuclear power plants in the region, with 19 under construction, says the European Nuclear Society.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00am

  Japanese officials say that 50 workers remain at the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant, but may be pulled out. A "group of US scientists", quoted by Reuters says it is unsure if "jerry-rigged cooling" would work if all the workers are evacuated.

  The as-yet-unnamed group says radiation could travel several hundred miles, and says the Japanese government should extend the evacuation zone.

   

• Timestamp: 

  12:53am

  Our team has been busy translating some tweets  - here's a selection, which show the growing desperation...

  
  @TakC_MD_PhD Lots of people are on the verge of death because of food and medicine shortages. Please don't kill people who don't need to die. Please, please whatever you have to do, get the essentials to the stricken areas. Let me know what I can do. I don't want any more of my countrymen to die.
   
  @PushCool  @Akinori_Japan Petrol shortage and complete disappearance of toilet rolls. Let's use it sparingly as it’s precious
   
  @Shintaro_SUZUKI @FKSminpo At Minami Souma Watanabe Hospital they don't have enough food for the patients, they will run out in a few days. Please help.
   
  @utyu895 Request to the media. Why do you cover scenes of misery, lots of crying faces, interview people who are upset and suffering badly? Please show us where the food is distributed, where help may be reached. Try to help the victims rather than just broadcast misery and suffering.

• Timestamp: 

  12:35am

  Steff Gaulter, Al Jazeera's senior meterologist, tweets:

  Rain has now turned to snow in #Fukushima. Winds have now swung round, coming from N/NW, clearing any radiation to the S/SW.

  You can follow her @WeatherSteff - and check out her more detailed report she filed just a couple of hours ago. Click here to read it.

• Timestamp: 

  12:18am

  Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of quake-hit Japan's nuclear power plants at Fukushima, says it may use a helicopter to pour water on the rooftop fuel rod pool - to immerse the 20-years-worth of used fuel that also needs to be kept cool to avert meltdown.

• Timestamp: 

  12:09am

  Japan's nuclear crisis has sparked panic buying of iodine pills in the United States, with online bids exceeding $500 for one packet, reports AFP news agency.

  But health experts have warned the pills are of limited use.

  Potassium iodide, a preventative for radiation sickness, completely ran out of stock at pharmacies across the country's West Coast, who had a rush on the over-the-counter pills.

• Timestamp: 

  12:07am

  Following explosions in at least two reactor cores at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant - and as the developing crisis is rated at level 6 of seven levels on the International Nuclear Events Scale - attention is turning to just what is happening inside the 40-year-old power plant in north-east Japan.
  
  Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan explains how a meltdown would happen.

• Timestamp: 

  12:02am

  Welcome to our Japan liveblog for March 16. Here we'll continue to keep you updated on events in Japan as they unfold, after a huge earthquake triggered a 10m tsunami - severely damaging at least one nuclear power plant. But if you want to catch up, you can read our blogs for reports from March 15.