Japan nuclear plant halts radioactive water clean-up
Operators of Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have suspended an operation to clean up contaminated water hours after it began due to high radiation levels.
Some 110,000 tonnes of water have built up during efforts to cool reactors hit by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.
The contaminated water, enough to fill 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools, has been at risk of spilling into the sea.
The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says with the arrival of the rainy season, "the fear is the pools of water could overflow spilling more radiation into the Pacific Ocean".
18 Jun 2011
- From the section Asia-Pacific