Dark smoke rising Wednesday from the building of an overheating reactor at an earthquake- and tsunami-damaged Japanese power station forced workers to evacuate the site, dpa reported.
After the smoke was seen from the reactor 3 building, those working at the reactor 3 and 4 buildings and workers at fire trucks were ordered to leave the site in Fukushima, 250 kilometres north-east of Tokyo, the government's nuclear safety commission said.
The commission said the cause of the smoke was not known.
Further progress was made Tuesday as the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co, restored lighting in the control room for reactor 3, which could help workers repair the reactor's key cooling functions to avert a meltdown.
External power was brought to all six reactors Tuesday at the plant damaged in the March 11 disaster after the final two reactors, 3 and 4, were reconnected.
Dark smoke forces workers to leave Japan reactor building
Dark smoke rising Wednesday from the building of an overheating reactor at an earthquake- and tsunami-damaged Japanese power station forced workers to evacuate the site
