16 hours is all it took for a total meltdown
"Nobody really knows where all the water is going—but it can't be anywhere good."
"the fuel can no longer be lifted out using the structure it was incorporated into, since all that supporting material has melted away."
"Fukushima is likely to be a long-term worry."
Fukushima Reactor 1 melted down, 2 and 3 may have too
Yesterday, TEPCO, the company responsible for running the Fukushima nuclear reactors, released a provisional analysis of the events that occurred in Unit 1, one of the reactors that was active when the tsunami struck. In five stark pages, the report lays out the impact of the tsunami on the facility: water levels that plunged below the bottom of the fuel, a complete meltdown of the nuclear fuel, and extensive damage to the reactor vessel.
Full story:
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/05/fukushima-reactor-1-melted-down-2-and-3-may-have-too.ars
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