ID :
186567
Sun, 06/05/2011 - 17:37
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https://oananews.org//node/186567
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GSDF member recounts fearing for life in blast at Fukushima nuke plant
TOKYO, June 5 Kyodo -
A Ground Self-Defense Force member who experienced a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant while on a mission to inject water into a reactor there in March said Sunday that he feared for his and his men's lives when the blast occurred.
''I thought that if it was a bad blast, we would not survive it,'' Col. Shinji Iwakuma, leader of the GSDF's Central Nuclear Biological Chemical Weapon Defense Unit, told Kyodo News and other media organizations.
The blast at the plant's No. 3 reactor on March 14 that injured four of Iwakuma's subordinates occurred when the six-member team was about to start spraying water onto the reactor, which had lost key cooling functions due to the March 11 quake and tsunami disaster.
While the team is experienced in dealing with nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, Iwakuma said an operation involving cooling a nuclear reactor had been ''unforeseen.''
Iwakuma, who arrived at the No. 3 reactor along with the five other members on a total of three vehicles, was about to open the door of his car when the hydrogen explosion occurred at 11:01 a.m.
The loud explosion, accompanied by a blast wave of a strength that Iwakuma had never experienced, caused concrete debris to fall on the ground, making the view from the windshield of his vehicle to appear all gray, the 49-year-old colonel said.
''I think the debris fell for several tens of seconds but it felt like it was for a very long time,'' Iwakuma said.
As he managed to get out of his car, he noticed that his subordinates were injured, dragging their legs or holding their own arms tightly. ''Are you all right? We will get out of here right now,'' Iwakuma told them and left the scene carrying the injured on his shoulder. The dosimeter had measured radioactivity of around 20 millisieverts at the time.
Iwakuma said the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., had not told them in advance that there was a possibility of a hydrogen explosion at the No. 3 reactor, only saying that it was unstable.
''Tokyo Electric was desperate to stabilize (the plant) so I am not angry at them,'' Iwakuma said, but added, ''If there is a possibility of an explosion, I would be reluctant to send my men there.''
==Kyodo
A Ground Self-Defense Force member who experienced a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant while on a mission to inject water into a reactor there in March said Sunday that he feared for his and his men's lives when the blast occurred.
''I thought that if it was a bad blast, we would not survive it,'' Col. Shinji Iwakuma, leader of the GSDF's Central Nuclear Biological Chemical Weapon Defense Unit, told Kyodo News and other media organizations.
The blast at the plant's No. 3 reactor on March 14 that injured four of Iwakuma's subordinates occurred when the six-member team was about to start spraying water onto the reactor, which had lost key cooling functions due to the March 11 quake and tsunami disaster.
While the team is experienced in dealing with nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, Iwakuma said an operation involving cooling a nuclear reactor had been ''unforeseen.''
Iwakuma, who arrived at the No. 3 reactor along with the five other members on a total of three vehicles, was about to open the door of his car when the hydrogen explosion occurred at 11:01 a.m.
The loud explosion, accompanied by a blast wave of a strength that Iwakuma had never experienced, caused concrete debris to fall on the ground, making the view from the windshield of his vehicle to appear all gray, the 49-year-old colonel said.
''I think the debris fell for several tens of seconds but it felt like it was for a very long time,'' Iwakuma said.
As he managed to get out of his car, he noticed that his subordinates were injured, dragging their legs or holding their own arms tightly. ''Are you all right? We will get out of here right now,'' Iwakuma told them and left the scene carrying the injured on his shoulder. The dosimeter had measured radioactivity of around 20 millisieverts at the time.
Iwakuma said the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., had not told them in advance that there was a possibility of a hydrogen explosion at the No. 3 reactor, only saying that it was unstable.
''Tokyo Electric was desperate to stabilize (the plant) so I am not angry at them,'' Iwakuma said, but added, ''If there is a possibility of an explosion, I would be reluctant to send my men there.''
==Kyodo
