New photos from inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant point to an unknown threat

 Robotic probes dived underwater in the ruins of the Fukushima nuclear power plant and discovered damaged important support structures. Now there are fears that this could become a major problem in the event of a new earthquake in the area.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) uses remote-controlled probes to probe the underwater depths of the nuclear power plant and monitor the progress of the costly cleanup operation. According to an update released on Tuesday, one of the robots recently took pictures of Unit 1's plinth, a support structure under one of the reactor cores that melted during the infamous 2011 nuclear disaster.

The 120 cm thick concrete plinth wall shows significant damage at the base, exposing the steel reinforcement inside. The worrying fact is that the three reactors contain a total of 880 tons of highly radioactive molten fuel residue.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was severely damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Although many measures have since been taken to minimize the risk of this damage, there is still a risk of new problems, especially in the event of further earthquakes in the region.

The greatest threat is the further leakage of radioactive substances from damaged nuclear reactors, which can affect the environment and human health. The water that is used to cool the damaged reactors must be continuously purified and stored to prevent further leakage of radioactive substances into the environment. However, there is a risk that in the event of subsequent earthquakes, this water could be destroyed or leak from the cooling systems, leading to another leakage of radioactive substances.

Another threat is the weakening of the structure of the nuclear power plant as a result of subsequent earthquakes. This structure was damaged already in 2011, and there were many aftershocks in the following years. The weakening of the structure can lead to further damage to the power plant and leakage of radioactive substances.

Another threat is that many of the radioactive substances that leaked from the power plant in 2011 are still found in the soil and water in the Fukushima region. In the event of subsequent earthquakes, there is a risk that these substances will be released again and cause contamination of the environment and human health.