It seems like disasters are rolling in one after another in Japan. First, the deadly earthquake, then the tsunami, and now nuclear threats that have yet to be brought under control. The failure of the cooling systems for reactors at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has raised the threat of a serious radiation leak and even an eventual meltdown.
Unit three appears to be the most severely damaged; the threat there seems most serious as it is the only one that runs on plutonium as well as uranium. Plutonium fuel is far more deadly than enriched uranium.
If radiation were released from unit three, the doses could be as serious as in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the worst nuclear accident in history. The next 48 hours will be crucial.
Things have not been helped by the lack of transparency at the Tokyo Electric Power Company, while the Japanese government was slow in its initial response, having underestimated the seriousness of the accident.
Experts at the French and US nuclear safety agencies have rated the Fukushima accident at six on the international nuclear event scale from 0 to 7. Only Chernobyl rated higher, at 7. The American aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, and the Seventh Fleet support ships, dispatched to the scene to help, had to quickly reposition themselves at one point because of a radioactive plume.
China was the first to issue a mass evacuation order of all its nationals. Russia and other European nations are also evacuating their nationals from Japan. Some Japanese have been moving westwards, away from the stricken area.
The crisis is still unfolding and experts are struggling to contain the situation. The entire world, especially countries in the region, cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. We must be prepared for any emergency situation that may arise.