Residents near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant have been moved further away from the facility to evacuation centers, reports said.

Repair work at the facility has been halted by the engineers.

Nearly 80,000 inhabitants residing within a 12-mile radius of the facility, which is still leaking radioactive particles, have left their homes. Residents of two towns Kawamata and Litate, have so far been ordered to stay indoors.

Among the first evacuees were mainly infants and pregnant women. More than 4,000 local people have been relocated in hotels and public housing complexes in nearby cities as a temporary arrangement.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is facing difficulties to bring the damaged facility and the reactors under control after contaminated water started leaking from the containment chamber. TEPCO, however, declared that it will come up with new plans to stabilize the reactor by Tuesday.

The government said a complete cold shut down will not be possible until next January and announced a compensation package for the people affected by the nuclear mishap.

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