JUST NOW: Three Strong Earthquakes Rock Eastern Japan

UPDATE 9.33pm (AEST): A THIRD large earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan tonight.

A SERIES of strong earthquakes rattled northeast Japan today, keeping residents on edge more than a week after a devastating tremor and tsunami battered the region.

The 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of  15km, about  568km northeast of Tokyo, at 6.44pm (8.44pm (AEDT), according to the US Geological Survey.

The tremor followed a 6.4-magnitude earthquake at 6.19pm (8.19pm AEDT). That quake struck at a depth of 27km 131km from the city of Fukushima in northeastern Japan.

Earlier, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of 26km, some 312km from Fukushima, where workers continue to battle to contain radiation leaks from a stricken nuclear reactor.

No tsunami warnings or damage from the quakes have been reported.

Earlier today, radiation levels 1600 times higher than normal were recorded as far as 20km away from the Fukushima nuclear plant, according to International Atomic Energy Agency figures cited by the Kyodo News agency.[heraldsun.com.au]

'Fukushima 50' Cut Off From Family

The Faceless Heroes Of Japan

The nuclear power plant workers known as the 'Fukushima Fifty' have been isolated from their families to prevent news of difficult conditions leaking out, it was claimed.

A family friend of one of the workers - the team battling to control the crisis at the power plant - said that email and phone access had been cut and one man had been unable to speak to his wife for days.
 
The move comes after one of the Fifty texted his wife in Japan saying that drinking water at the plant was running low, adding: "I feel like I'm coming down with something." [newsonjapan.com]

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has 180 workers in protective gear, working in crew shifts of 50 (dubbed the Fukushima 50), who are using fire hoses and other equipment in a desperate attempt to keep reactor cores and spent fuel pools filled with water.

Little is know about these workers, except for the few whose relatives have spoken to the Japanese media.

These men are repeatedly enduring high doses of radiation and are under alot of risk  for the sake of saving their country, the Fukushima nuclear plant and themselves. For days now, these men have worked tirelessly and selflessly in order to keep the reactors cool and to prevent a catastrophe. The workers wear protective clothing and breathing masks, but the suits are effective only against alpha radiation. They offer much less protection against deadly gamma rays that would be emitted from melted fuel.

These fifty  plant workers technically ‘on suicide mission’ to battle a major nuclear meltdown are sacrificing everything for the greater good, refusing to back down in the face of adversity or even certain death.

What keeps them there is duty, commitment and bravery!

The worlds thoughts and prayers are with these selfless brave men, their families and the rest of the people of Japan.

The workers might be faceless heroes for the moment, but their bravery has won them the admiration of many Japanese and the international community. 

The Fukushima 50 are the real heroes on the world stage.