The explosion took place Monday morning at the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, the same place where a failure to cool overheated fuel rods at the No. 1 reactor resulted in a similar blast on Saturday. That explosion also damaged a pump used to bring in sea water for added cooling, the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said at a briefing Monday evening. The agency said the fuel rods at the No. 3 reactor are now fused together.
Monday afternoon, a third reactor at the complex began experiencing similar cooling problems, said chief government spokesman Yukio Edano. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. is preparing to flood that reactor, known as the No. 2 reactor, with seawater in an attempt to bring the temperature down, he said.
In all three cases, the problems have arisen after levels of water needed to cool reactor fuel rods fell. That exposed the rods and released highly combustible hydrogen gas, which eventually built up in the concrete buildings surrounding each reactor.
So far, the explosions have destroyed those buildings but left the steel containers around each reactor intact, Mr. Edano said. Six people were injured, one seriously, after Monday's explosion, Mr. Edano said. The government said there hasn't been a large increase in radiation following the explosion.
Televisions showed smoke billowing out of the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant shortly after 11 a.m. local time.
Officials are continuing to struggle to prevent meltdowns at both the No. 1 and No. 3 damaged reactors, saying their fuel rods may have been critically damaged by overheating.
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