A second explosion has occurred at the nuclear power plant that was damaged in Friday’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Nuclear reactor 3 from the Fukushima plant suffered a similar explosion to that which hit reactor 1 on Saturday. Officials say the blast did not damage the casing which houses the uranium fuel rods in the reactor’s core. Experts believe the latest explosion was caused by a build-up of hydrogen in the building that covers the core. Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan has told people there is no danger of a radioactive leak, but warned the situation to cool the reactors is still critical. He described recent events as "the biggest crisis Japan has encountered in the 65 years since the end of World War II".

Japan is beginning to understand more details of its tragedies. The death toll is slowly rising. Police found over 2,000 bodies on the coastline of Miyagi prefecture on Monday and at least ten thousand people are missing in the port town of Minamisanriku. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plants – many fear they will never see their homes again. More than 22 Fukushima residents are being treated for the effects of exposure to radiation. The whole of Japan is extremely concerned about the ongoing crisis at the power plants. Experts say a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl is highly unlikely. Nevertheless, the quiet fear and panic experienced by the Japanese raise questions about nuclear safety.