Faulty pipe in Japan accident 'not inspected'

The faulty cooling pipe at the centre of Japan’s deadliest nuclear power plant accident had not been inspected since 1996, despite a warning last year that it was a safety threat, the plant operator said.

The dangerously corroded pipe – which carried boiling water and superheated steam – burst at the Mihama reactor yesterday, burning to death at least four workers and injuring seven others, two of them seriously. No radiation was released, officials said.