Workers at the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant worked to plug a radioactive leak at the site Monday after efforts failed a day earlier to stop the flow of contaminated water into the sea, dpa reported.
By Monday morning, chemical polymers being used to block the flow of radioactive water had yet to absorb the water, the Kyodo news agency reported. The 20-centimetre crack is in a pit where cables are stored near reactor number 2.
The Japanese government warned it could take months to get the leak under control following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami that damaged the plant.
Plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), has begun putting dye in the water to find the location of other possible leaks.
Meanwhile, Kyodo reported officials were considering the possibility of wrapping the entire reactor in a 45-metre high sheet in an effort to contain the radiation coming from the facility.