Crews resort to last-ditch efforts to cool fuel rods

EMERGENCY workers frantic to regain control of Japan’s dangerously overheated nuclear complex turned to increasingly elaborate methods yesterday to cool nuclear fuel rods at risk of spraying out more radiation.

They tried with police water cannons, firetrucks and military helicopters dropping bucket after enormous bucket of water onto the stricken system.

By nightfall, it wasn’t clear if anything had worked, and the UN nuclear agency warned the situation was “very serious”.