BBC News - Japan earthquake: Explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant
This nuclear blast does not seem to be as big as it could have been, thank God, and the risk is minimal. The Japanese people have been through too much with their earthquake and tsunami, and a nuclear disaster is the last thing they'd need.
A powerful explosion has hit a nuclear power station in north-eastern Japan which was badly damaged in Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
A building housing a reactor was destroyed, but the authorities said the reactor itself was intact inside its steel container.
The Japanese government has sought to play down fears of a meltdown at the Fukushima plant.
It says radiation levels around the stricken plant have now fallen.
A huge rescue and relief operation is under way in the region after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which are thought to have killed more than 1,000 people.
Tokyo Electric Power said four of its workers had been injured in Saturday's blast at Fukushima, 250km (155 miles) north of Tokyo, but that their injuries were not life-threatening.
This nuclear blast does not seem to be as big as it could have been, thank God, and the risk is minimal. The Japanese people have been through too much with their earthquake and tsunami, and a nuclear disaster is the last thing they'd need.