Emergency workers struggling to pump contaminated water from Japan’s stricken nuclear complex fled from one of the troubled reactors today after reporting a huge increase in radioactivity – a spike that officials later said was inaccurate.

Emergency workers struggling to pump contaminated water from Japan’s stricken nuclear complex fled one of the troubled reactors today after reporting a huge spike in radioactivity, with levels 10 million times higher than normal in the reactor’s cooling system.

Radioactivity in contaminated water in one reactor unit at a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant tested 10 million times higher than normal, forcing the evacuation of workers and again delaying efforts to bring the complex under control, the plant’s operator said today.

TWO units at Japan’s stricken nuclear plant safely cooled down yesterday, though pressure unexpectedly rose in a third unit’s reactor and traces of radiation were found in more foods, further shaking an already uneasy public.

Two units at Japan's stricken nuclear plant safely cooled down today, though pressure unexpectedly rose in a third unit's reactor as scientists continued to wage a battle to get a handle on the crisis.

Emergency workers are continuing frantic efforts to cool nuclear fuel at Japan’s stricken reactors complex.

Military helicopters dumped loads of seawater onto Japan’s stricken nuclear complex today, turning to combat-style tactics while trying to cool overheated uranium fuel that may be on the verge of spewing out more radiation.

DANGEROUS levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors yesterday after an explosion and a fire escalated the crisis spawned by a deadly tsunami.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked a rural, mountainous area of northern Japan today, killing at least three people, triggering landslides, stopping train service and knocking down a bridge.

A top power company official defended safety standards at an earthquake-ravaged Japanese nuclear plant today, even as the company said a radioactive leak was bigger than reported.

A strong earthquake today shook an area in northern Japan still recovering from last month’s magnitude-6.8 quake, the Meteorological Agency said. The latest tremor sent residents dashing under tables, and led to at least one injury.