TOKYO (AP) — Officials in Japan warn today radiation seeping from a crippled nuclear power complex is spreading to seawater and soil.
Workers at the damaged plant are racing to pump out contaminated water suspected of sending radioactivity levels soaring.
A tsunami that followed the March 11 earthquake knocked out power to the system that cools the dangerously hot nuclear fuel rods.
Workers today resumed the laborious yet urgent task of pumping out the hundreds of tons of radioactive water inside several buildings at the six-unit plant. The water must be removed and safely stored before work can continue to re-power the plant's regular cooling system.
One expert says it could take weeks to clear out the radioactive water.
New readings show contamination in the ocean has spread about a mile farther north of the nuclear site than before.
