A strong earthquake struck northwestern Japan on Monday, causing a radioactive water leak and fire at one of the world's most powerful nuclear power plants and turning buildings into piles of lumber. At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured. Flames and billows of black smoke poured from the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant -- the world's largest in terms of power output capacity. It took two hours to extinguish the fire in an electrical transformer, said Motoyasu Tamaki, a Tokyo Electric Power Co. official.The plant leaked about 315 gallons of water, said Katsuya Uchino, another Tokyo Electric official.
Uchino said the water contained a tiny amount of radioactive material -- a billionth of the guideline under Japanese law -- and is believed to have flushed into the Sea of Japan.
A company statement said the leak had stopped and that there had been no "significant change" in the seawater under surveillance and no effect on the environment.
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