Japan in a race to cool nuke plant

Smoke belched from a stricken nuclear plant in Japan yesterday, disrupting urgent efforts to repair the cooling systems as Tokyo halted some food shipments owing to radiation worries.
Rain complicated rescue efforts and compounded the misery of tsunami survivors fearful of dangerous radioactive leaks from the wrecked Fukushima power station, which has suffered a series of explosions and fires.
Chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said Tokyo had ordered the suspension of shipments of milk and certain vegetables including spinach from regions around the plant after abnormal radiation levels were found in the products.
But "even if you eat and drink them several times it will not be a health hazard. So I would like you to act calmly," Edano said.
Workers were forced to evacuate from part of the troubled Fukushima plant after grey smoke rose from reactor number three, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said.
The cause was unclear but it was not believed to be linked to the all-important efforts to restore power to the reactor unit systems, officials said.
The smoke abated more than two hours later but white smoke was later seen rising from the number two reactor, although there were no immediate reports of an increase in radiation from the plant.
Shortly before the crews' evacuation, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said there was "slow but steady progress" in dealing with the atomic crisis.