Meltdown alert at Japan reactor
2344: Tokyo Electric says that 50 employees are still staying at the Fukushima plant
2340: Tokyo Electric officials are now holding a news briefing. They say the blast at reactor 2 happened “near the pressure vessel”. They also confirm that some staff at the nuclear power plant are being evacuated.
2333: More details on the reported blast at Fukushima’s reactor 2. The explosion is feared to have damaged the reactor’s pressure-suppression system, Kyodo says. It adds that “radiation tops legal limit” after the explosion.
2320: A spokesperson from Tokyo Electric says said some staff have been evacuated from the site.
2316: Kyodo now says that the suppression pool may have been damaged at reactor 2.
2311: The news agency said the blast was heard at 0610 local time on Tuesday (2110 GMT Monday). No other details were immediately announced.
2308: An explosion is heard at Fukushima’s second reactor, the Kyodo news agency reports.