Originally posted by Wikinews. Wikinews content appears under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license except where specified. As these articles are static snapshots of news items that may be later updated, they may not represent the latest or final revision of that article, and posted information may be only preliminary. Explosion at earthquake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 12, 2011 Original URL: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Explosion_at_earthquake-damaged_Fukushima_nuclear_power_plant An explosion has been reported at Japan's stricken nuclear power plant after its cooling system was damaged by a massive that hit off the North-East coast of Japan on Friday. The explosion occurred at 3:30pm local time (6:00am UTC). According to the plant's operator, , four workers were injured in the explosion. The explosion occurred as workers were attempting to cool a reactor by injecting water into its core. Local media is reporting that the plant's exterior walls have been destroyed and only a skeleton structure remains. More than 45,000 residents within a 10-kilometre radius of the plant have been evacuated. Television reports show white smoke coming from the plant. Local authorities are warning residents in the vicinity of the plant to stay indoors, turn off air-conditioners and not to drink tap water. According to Japan's nuclear agency, radioactive and has been identified at the plant. Authorities speculate that this indicates that containers holding Uranium fuel at the site may have ruptured and are leaking. ==Related news== * 8.9 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, causes tsunami * Earthquake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant triggers evacuation ==Sources== * http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219 * http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/12/3162450.htm?section=world * http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8223066 * http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/ .