Rise in radiation detected in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture: local nuclear authorities

A sharp rise in radiation was detected in Ibaraki Prefecture, south of Fukushima, the prefectural nuclear safety department said Tuesday.

The radiation monitored in Hitachiota city rose to 100 times as high as the normal level, said an official from the safety department. But the amount of the radiation, however, was only one tenth of that received in a routine chest X-ray.

Radiation ten times as high as the normal level was also monitored in Naka city and Hitachi city in the prefecture, Xinhua reported.