By Xinhua
Vienna : The damage on a nuclear power plant in northwest Japan caused by a strong earthquake appears to be “limited”, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“Damage from the earthquake appears to be limited” and “the very small amount of radioactivity released was well below the authorised limits for public health and environmental safety”, IAEA report said Tuesday after its six-member team inspected the plant.
The team of six nuclear and seismic safety experts from the IAEA prepared the report following a three-day visit to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant to evaluate the damage caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake last month.
The powerful quake, which also killed 11 and injured thousands of people July 16, rocked the Niigata prefecture where the nuclear power plant is located. The operation of seven reactors in the plant was suspended soon after the quake.
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei welcomed the cooperation from the Japanese authorities.
“The mission’s findings and the Japanese analyses of the event include important lessons learned, both positive and negative, that will be relevant to other nuclear plants worldwide,” he said.