Six and a half decades after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the second world war, a powerful earthquake plunged Japan into another nuclear crisis. The only difference is that the current one is not man-made.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake that stuck Japan's Pacific Coast on Friday afternoon, triggered off a wave of destruction with a subsequent tsunami, besides fires and landslides.
On Sunday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano confirmed two nuclear reactors may have experienced a partial meltdown, with a possible explosion imminent at a second reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in northeastern Japan.
On Saturday, the fears turned reality when an explosion hit the building containing the No 1 reactor at the Fukushima Number One plant.
Soon, another blast followed in the building around the No 3 reactor at the Fukushima Number One plant. Edano informed that it was caused by a build-up of hydrogen. The second hydrogen explosion in three days occurred at the troubled Dai-ichi plant Monday morning, injuring six workers.
While Edano assured that the soundness of the reactor container has been maintained, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said radiation levels at Unit 3 were 10.65 microsieverts, significantly under the 500 microsieverts at which a nuclear operator must file a report to the government.
While a large portion of the country is submerged in the ruins caused by the earthquake and tsunami, fears of radiation has led to mass evacuations in the areas around the nuclear plants.
Start the slideshow to see photos of the evacuations, radiation fears, and the apparant commencement of a nuclear crisis:
A man who was evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear power plant washes his head at Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF)'s makeshift facility to cleanse people who might have been exposed to radiation in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that the situation at a quake-damaged nuclear plant remained worrisome and that authorities were doing their utmost to prevent damage from spreading. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoA man who was evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear power plants is screened for radiation levels at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoA man who was evacuated from the vicinity of Fukushima nuclear power plant washes his spectacles at Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces' (JGSDF) makeshift facility to cleanse people who might have been exposed to radiation, in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that the situation at a quake-damaged nuclear plant remained worrisome and that authorities were doing their utmost to prevent damage from spreading. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoA mother tries to talk to her daughter who has been isolated for signs of radiation after evacuating from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear plants, at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people.Photo: REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoJapan Self-Defense Forces officers carry a victim who is suspected of being exposed to radiation in Nihonmatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture March 13, 2011 after radiation leaked from an earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daini nuclear reactor. Japan battled to contain a radiation leak at an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant on Sunday, but faced a fresh threat with the failure of the cooling system in a second reactor. REUTERS/Yomiuri ShimbunA technician in protective gear looks out of a window next to a sign reading "No entry except for those with permission" at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoOfficial in protective gear talks to a woman who is from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama March 13, 2011. Japan battled to contain a radiation leak at an earthquake-crippled nuclear plant on Sunday, but faced a fresh threat with the failure of the cooling system in a second reactor. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonReuters reported that the nuclear aftereffects of the Japan earthquake could hamper the global nuclear industry. The worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl explosion could trigger a sharp drop in shares of nuclear plant builders as investors reconsider the possibility of a renaissance for the industry, the report added.Environmental activists attend a rally to mourn for the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, and to urge the South Korean government to halt the building of more nuclear plants in South Korea, in front of the Integrated Government Complex in Seoul March 14, 2011. South Korea on Monday convened emergency sessions of four parliamentary committees to discuss how to respond to the impact of the quake and tsunami in neighboring Japan, including the risk of radiation leaks. REUTERS/Truth Leem
