Toll to cross 10,000; nuclear fear escalates

That brings the total number of troubled plants to four,including one that is about 75 miles north of Tokyo. The emergency at the hardest hit plant,Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station,appeared to be the worst involving a nuclear plant since the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago,and at least 22 residents near the plant showed signs of radiation exposure,according to local officials. The crisis at that plant,which is much further from Tokyo,continued late Sunday.

The death toll also saw a dramatic rise on Sunday. In the port of Minamisanriku alone,a senior police official said the number of dead would certainly be more than 10,000. The overall number will climb further as searchers begin to reach the worst-hit areas.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan called it the worst crisis in the 65 years since the War,at a news conference. If the nation works together,we will overcome.

On Sunday,the Japanese Meteorological Agency upgraded the quakes magnitude from 8.8 to 9.0,an effective doubling of its recorded power.

Japanese nuclear officials worked round the clock Sunday to bring a second reactor thought to be in partial meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station under control,a day after an explosion at one reactor there. A valve malfunctioned on Sunday,hampering their efforts for much of the day.

On Saturday,an explosion caused by hydrogen had torn the outer wall and roof off the building housing the No. 1 reactor at Fukushima,although the steel containment of the reactor remained in place.

Then on Sunday,cooling failed at the No. 3 reactor and core melting was presumed at both,said top government spokesman Edano. An explosion could also rock the No. 3 reactor,Edano warned.

He stressed that as in the No. 1 unit,the reactors steel containment would withstand the explosion. It is designed to withstand shocks, he said.

Officials also said they would release steam and inject water into a third reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant after temperatures rose and water levels fell around the fuel rods.

Until late Sunday,the government had declared an emergency at only two nuclear plants,Daiichi and the nearby Daini. Cooling had failed at three reactors at Fukushima Daini,although conditions there were considered less dire for now.

Then,the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that Japan had added a third to the list because radiation had been detected outside the plant,which is about 60 miles from Sendai,a city of 1 million people in Japans northeast. The government did not immediately confirm the report from the IAEA.

Soon after that announcement,Kyodo News reported that a plant about 75 miles north of Tokyo was having cooling problems.

The developments at Daiichi and Daini prompted the evacuation of more than 200,000 people. The government was scrambling to test people who lived near the Daiichi plant,with local officials saying that about 170 people had likely been exposed,but it was unclear if they or the 22 who showed signs of exposure had received dangerous doses. Early Sunday,the government said three workers were suffering full-out radiation illness.

Radiation levels outside the Daiichi plant,which had retreated overnight,shot up to 1,204 microsieverts per hour,or over twice Japans legal limit,Edano said.

NHK,Japans public broadcaster,flashed instructions to evacuees: close doors and windows; place a wet towel over the nose and mouth; cover up as much as possible. At a news conference,Edano called for calm. If measures can be taken,we will be able to ensure the safety of the reactor, he said.

Even before Edanos statement,it was clear on Sunday from the radioactive materials turning up in trace amounts outside the reactors that fuel damage had occurred. The existence or extent of melting might not be clear until workers can open the reactors and examine the fuel,which could be months from now.

How much damage the fuel suffered remained uncertain,though safety officials insisted that radiation leaks outside the plant remained small and did not pose a major health risk. However,they also told the IAEA that they were making preparations to distribute iodine,which helps protect the thyroid gland from radiation exposure,to people living near Daiichi and Daini.

Japanese nuclear safety officials and international experts also said that because of crucial design differences,the release of radiation at Daiichi would most likely be much smaller than at Chernobyl even if the plant had a complete core meltdown.