Workers Rescued from Crippled Japanese Nuclear Plant

Operators evacuated workers from Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant Monday after gray smoke rose from one of its reactor units, the latest of persistent troubles in stabilizing the radiation-leaking complex.

The evacuation brought to a standstill some of the work on restoring the plant's electrical lines and restarting the water pumping systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from overheating and releasing even greater amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Hiroshi Aizawa said the evacuation was prompted by smoke rising from the area of the spent fuel storage pool at the plant's Unit 3 reactor building. However, nuclear safety agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama later told reporters in Tokyo he didn't think the smoke was linked to the fuel pool.

Continuous heavy rain pounded northeastern Japan's earthquake-stricken regions, grounding relief helicopters and prompting increased fears about radiation.

The weather forced Prime Minister Naoto Kan to cancel a planned visit to a staging area for relief supplies just 20 kilometers from the Fukushima plant, where work crews continue to spray seawater to keep spent fuel rods from overheating.

Authorities said the rain was also preventing helicopter crews from flying food, water and other relief goods to remote locations where tens of thousands of people are housed in makeshift shelters with scant food and heat.

The death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami continues to climb as more bodies wash up on the coasts of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. More than 8,600 people have now been confirmed dead and more than 13,200 are reported missing. Police in Miyagi say they believe about 15,000 people have died in that area alone.