Japan earthquake: Massive 7.3 magnitude shake 'causes leak' at nuclear power plant | Daily Mirror

The huge 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday off the coast of east Japan, with reports of a fuel leak at Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power plant

By Issei Kato - Chris Gallagher - Ryan Merrifield

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a depth of 60km, arriving shortly after 11pm (2pm GMT).

At least 74 people were injured according to the country's Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

It appears to have failed to cause major damage and no tsunami warning has been issued by officials.

However, most concerning are reports of a leak at Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power plant, according to public broadcaster NHK - though this has been denied by the facility owners.

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An evacuated family rests at a shelter set up in a sports arena(Image: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

Pool water used for storing spent nuclear fuel may have leaked and contaminated the surrounding area, the outlet said.

However, reports also suggest the risk to workers and the surrounding area is low as the level of radiation is not an extreme risk.

TEPCO reports a plant patrol found about 160ml of pool water for storing spent nuclear fuel in Unit 1 "in preparation for decommissioning in Fukushima Prefecture had leaked into a ditch next to the pool".

A gate is seen broken in Koori, Fukushima(Image: REUTERS)

"It seems that it overflowed due to the shaking of the earthquake, but according to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the amount is small, so there is no effect on the cooling of nuclear fuel, and the radiation dose is low, so there is no concern about exposure to workers."

The report continued that as of 1.40am local time: "No major abnormalities have been found at the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant, and there is no change in the values of the monitoring posts that measure radiation levels around the nuclear power plant."

A cameraman for Reuters in Fukushima said his 10th floor hotel room shook for some time and one man at the hotel was taken to hospital and hitting his head on a door.