Meltdown Possible at Japanese Power Plant

Radiation leaked froma damaged Japanese nuclear reactor north of Tokyo on Saturday,the government said, after an explosion blew the roof off thefacility in the wake of a massive earthquake.  The developments raised fears of a meltdown at the plant asofficials scrambled to contain what could be the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl explosion in 1986 that shocked the world.      

The Japanese plant was damaged by Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake, which sent a 10-metre (33-foot) tsunami ripping through towns and cities across the northeast coast. Japanese media estimate that at least 1,300 people were killed.     "We are looking into the cause and the situation and we'll make that public when we have further information," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said after confirming theexplosion and radiation leak at the plant.

An evacuation radius has been widened to 12 miles and residents of the region have been urged to stay indoors, turn off air conditioning units and not to drink tap water.

Radioactivity in the control room at the plant is 1,000 times the normal level - and eight times the normal level in the area immediately outside the site.