Fukushima is the symbol of a catastrophe.
After twelve years, the memory of the super meltdown is fading.
Now the operator Tepco is showing new images from inside a reactor.
Fukushima – Twelve years ago there was a meltdown in Fukushima (Japan).
A tsunami hit the Pacific coast on March 11, 2011.
Cities, villages and huge areas sank under the water masses.
The tsunami killed 20,000 people.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant was destroyed.
In three reactors of the nuclear power plant complex in north-eastern Japan there were huge explosions and a core meltdown.
Since then, the power plant has been idle.
Robots have now been sent inside reactor one to reveal the extent of the destruction.
Fukushima nuclear accident: "We believe the damage is widespread"
"We believe the damage is widespread," a Tepco spokesman said at a news conference.
Overall, similar videos were made in all three reactors that melted down twelve years ago.
A layer of debris about 50 centimeters thick can be seen on the videos, as well as damaged concrete walls from which steel struts protrude.
Tepco and the Japanese government estimate it will take another 30 to 40 years to remove the molten fuel rods from the facility and decontaminate the area.
In the other two reactors at the Fukushima Daichii plant where the meltdown occurred, Tepco says it filmed similar robotic videos to examine the damage.
Fukushima: Danger of earthquakes: safety tests are required
Recently, there have been frequent reports of concerned residents concerned about the safety of the destroyed facility.
The governor of Fukushima, Masao Uchibori, also requested a security test from the operating company Tepco.
The region is very vulnerable to earthquakes.
Tepco announced that it would reassess earthquake safety in the coming months.
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The video grab of the picture by ABC 24 television shows a cloud of smoke over the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, 250 kilometers northeast of Tokyo (Japan), the day after the earthquake and tsunami.
© Abc News 24 handout
After the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Germany decided to phase out nuclear power.
However, this was postponed due to the energy crisis.
Now in April, the last three German nuclear power plants are also going off the grid.
(Anna-Lena Kiegerl/afp)
