Smoke rises from Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant

Smoke was seen rising from the No. 3 reactor at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, a Reuters report said on Monday. The report said nuclear plant operators had earlier halted injection of sea water into the reactor, resulting in a rise in radiation levels and pressure. The government had warned that an explosion was possible because of the buildup of hydrogen in the building housing the reactor. Earlier, some 30 Filipino seafarers stranded in Fukushima, Japan have been located and sent on their way to the Narita airport early on Monday. According to a radio dzBB report on Monday, the seafarers boarded a bus heading for Narita Airport at 3:30 a.m. (Manila time). An earlier news release from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the 30 were brought to Fukushima by their company after a magnitude-8.9 quake hit Japan on Friday. The DFA said on Sunday the 30 rescued were "safely housed in a hotel" and were "duly cared for." A Reuters report on Monday quoted Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan as saying that the situation at a quake-damaged nuclear plant remained worrisome and that authorities were doing their utmost to prevent damage from spreading. Aside from the 30 seafarers, the efforts of Philippine authorities also focused on the 4,500 Filipinos in Japan’s northeast region, including Sendai city, which was heavily affected by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Friday, March 11. – with a report from Reuters, VVP, GMA News