Fears for Fukushima nuclear plant as 4,000 workers take shelter at higher ground at plant still recovering from 2011 tsunami
Alerts have been issued across the Pacific, with evacuation orders issued in Japan, Canada and the US after the earthquake hit the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia.
In Fukushima, Japan, around 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher grounds on the plant complex while monitoring the safety of the plant remotely.
The site's usual release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea has also been temporarily suspended as a precautionary step.
The plant was previously at the centre of a major nuclear incident following an earthquake and tsunami, which caused an electrical grid failure and damaged nearly all of the power plant's backup energy sources.
The incident caused radioactive spillover into the surrounding area and is regarded as the worst nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
A spokeswoman of the plant operator TEPCO confirmed 'all workers and employees' had been evacuated from the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
She added that 'no abnormality' had been observed at the site.
Shaimaa Kalil, BBC News Tokyo correspondent, said: 'Since that disaster there is still nuclear debris that is being cooled off by tonnes and tonnes of water that is stored in big tanks there, so it is a critical area and it is important to keep it safe.
'They are monitoring the situation but you can imagine there is nervousness in that area given the continuous warnings of the waves.'
The facility is still recovering from the devastating tsunami in 2011, which caused a radioactive nuclear accident.
A 33ft (10m)-high tsunami that killed nearly 16,000 people crashed into power plant, leading to the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl..
This led to several meltdowns, allowing harmful radioactive fuel rods and debris to escape from contained areas.
In 2018, a worker died from the radiation they were exposed to at the stricken power plant seven years before.
The man aged in his 50s developed lung cancer after he was involved in the emergency clean-up work at the plant following the devastating tsunami between March and December 2011.
The removal of fuel debris from the tsunami remains ongoing and operators recently announced it would be delayed until 2037 or later.
Hawaii residents were urged to evacuate from coastal areas as the entire island chain braced for the impact to strike at 1 am EST or 7pm local time
Overall, at least 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel has mixed with broken parts of internal structures and other debris inside the three reactors that suffered meltdowns at the plant following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The delay set back the 2051 target set by Japan's government and TEPCO for decommissioning the plant.
Earlier this month radioactive soil from the power plant was delivered the Japanese prime minister's office to be reused in an effort to showcase its safety.
The government is desperate to set people's minds at ease about recycling the 14 million cubic meters of decontaminated soil, enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums, collected after massive clean-ups and stored at a sprawling outdoor facility near the Fukushima plant.
Officials have pledged to find final disposal sites outside of Fukushima by 2045.
The Environment Ministry said the 2 cubic meters, now at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office complex in Tokyo, will be used as foundation material in one section of the lawn garden, based on the ministry´s safety guidelines endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The soil does not include any from inside the plant.
Despite assurances, there has been much public unease. The government has already been forced to scrap a plan to experiment using some of the soil in flower beds at several public parks in and around Tokyo following protests.
It comes as the quake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck of Kamchatska, Russia at around 7.24pm EST (00:24 BST) - marking the sixth strongest earthquake ever.
It was also believed to be the strongest to strike on the entire planet in 14 years, when a 9.1 megaquake hit northeast Japan and left 19,747 people either dead or missing.
Several were injured in Russia and preschool in Petropavlovsk collapsed from the quake as tsunami waves could be seen reaching the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Unfortunately, there are some people injured during the seismic event. Some were hurt while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window.
'A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal,' Oleg Melnikov, regional health minister told Russia´s TASS state news agency.
'All patients are currently in satisfactory condition, and no serious injuries have been reported so far.'
The Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences also said it was a very powerful earthquake.
'However, due to certain characteristics of the epicenter, the shaking intensity was not as high ... as one might expect from such a magnitude,' it said in a video on Telegram.
'Aftershocks are currently ongoing ... Their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control.'
Millions in America are now under threat, with residents in Hawaii having already been forced to evacuate from coastal areas as the entire island chain braced for the impact to strike.
The California/Oregon border is now also under a tsunami warning, while advisories remained in effect for the rest of the West Coast of the United States.
Waves were expected to reach California at about 3 am EST/12 am local.
On his Truth Social page, President Donald Trump urged Americans to 'STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE.'
In Hawaii, locals were seen running to supermarkets to stock up on water and other essentials as Gov. Josh Green signed an emergency proclamation for the state.
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Glasgow Times
a day ago
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101-year-old veteran receives Freedom of the City of London
As a young man of about 19, Sidney Machin, now 101, landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit Burma, which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure. Mr Machin, from Dorset, received his honour alongside his son Trevor Machin, 64, of Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, who retired two years ago after nearly 35 years in the City of London Police. Trevor Machin, a retired City of London Police officer, and his father, 101-year-old veteran Sidney Machin (James Manning/PA) After Friday's special Guildhall ceremony in the City, where he proudly wore his Burma Star medal and 77th Brigade tie, Mr Machin senior said he did not think of himself as brave or heroic adding: 'I never really think about it really.' He recalled that Burma was 'hard going and I was a young lad, only 19'. The father-of-five said he was proud of his son, who was also made a freeman, as 'I think he deserved it as well'. 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'Chindit' is derived from the Burmese word chinthe, a mythical lion-like creature which guards temples. Broadway was the code name for a jungle landing strip used during Operation Thursday in the second World War. It was a key part of the Chindits' campaign, a series of long-range penetration operations behind Japanese lines. Gliders and, later, Dakota transport aircraft, were flown into Broadway to deliver troops, supplies and equipment. The landing strip was hastily constructed in a logging clearing, posing significant challenges because of the terrain and weather. As a member of 81 Column, 77th Brigade, Mr Machin senior was part of a floater platoon operating around Broadway. On its closure, the 1st King's marched across to support 111th Brigade at the stronghold codenamed Blackpool. While supporting 111th Brigade, a sliver of bamboo pierced his foot and became infected, requiring him to be carried on an officer's horse for several days to be treated in hospital in Meerut. He returned to Regimental HQ in Liverpool and then to Officers Training Unit at Maresfield, East Sussex. After retiring from the Army, Mr Machin senior spent more than 40 years working in the City of London as a telephone engineer and later in management. Brigadier Jim Allen, Commander 77th Brigade (James Manning/PA) Brigadier Jim Allen, Commander 77th Brigade, who attended the ceremony, said: 'Sid was on a glider as a 19 or 20-year-old, and they were basically towed up to speed, let go, and then at night, on a compass, no GPS, effectively crash-landed behind the enemy lines in the middle of the night, got out of their glider, and many of them died from their injuries because of the crash-landing. 'Then they formed up, got the compass out and marched to the next place ready to fight the Japanese as and when they found them – it's incredible.' He added: 'What they did was truly amazing in the defence of that part of the world in the Second World War. 'Their sacrifices, their kind of fighting spirit, the atrocious conditions (they faced) and they just didn't stop. 'They kept on going until they accomplished the mission. 'Sid embodies that fighting Chindit spirit. 'It's a real privilege for me, as the commander of 77th brigade, being here today, because we represent their heritage, their ethos, their culture, and we are still actively serving as a unit within the British army that carries on the strong fighting spirit of people like Sid.' After the joint ceremony, Mr Machin junior said of his father: 'He is a lovely man and I am very proud of him. 'He just keeps going and going. He is amazing. His knees have gone but other than that he is a fantastic specimen of physical fitness. 'He served his country back in the day. He is not boastful. He is our rock of the family. He is just a great man – and everyone who meets him likes him.' He added: 'It has just been a lovely day for us and is something we will always remember together. I am just very happy to be able to have time with him and to be able to do nice things with him like this.' Mr Machin junior joined the police in 1989 and was based in Snow Hill Station, where he had to deal with several IRA bombs and riots. He said: 'It was just a varied lovely job and day-to-day you did not really know what you were getting into. I mostly worked on the community side and got to work and know the people on that beat.' Colonel Simon Duckworth, lieutenant for the City of London, said it had been 'a really wonderful opportunity' to give 'the City freedom together to a father and son, both of whom have exemplified public service and service to the Crown'.
