Four Corners

Japan's Nuclear Nightmare (2011x7)

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First came the massive earthquake; then the monstrous tsunami, sweeping thousands to their deaths. Disasters of such magnitude they almost defy comprehension. But there was more to come. Twenty four hours after the earthquake struck Japan, the roof blew off the Number One reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power station, triggering a nightmare nuclear scenario. As the days have passed the news from Fukushima has grown more and more worrying and the appalling human tragedy of the tsunami has almost been eclipsed as world headlines focus on the unfolding drama at the crippled nuclear plant. Quentin McDermott reports on how this nuclear emergency began, the increasingly desperate efforts employed to bring the situation under control and the worrying history of the plant's operators.