Japan considers expanding evacuation area

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RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED April 12, 2011

Japanese authorities are considering new recommendations for residents around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant involving a possible expansion of the current 20-kilometer evacuation zone, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told NHK TV on Monday.

Residents in areas between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant could be advised to evacuate based on accumulated radiation exposure levels, he said. Currently such residents are advised to stay indoors.

One such area is the village of Iitate in the Fukushima prefecture located 30 kilometers from the power plant.

Iitate Mayor Norio Kanno told NHK he was against an evacuation because radiation levels in the village remained low.

The death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan currently stands at 12,690 with more than 14,700 people missing.

The twin disaster knocked out the cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, raising concerns over radiation leaks.

Topics: NPP Fukushima Daiichi

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