Helicopter mission to cool down reactors aborted

Sendai, Japan: Japan aborted a mission to use a helicopter to cool down reactor number 3 at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, two air force helicopters had lifted off from an air base near Sendai, carrying large buckets of water. However, the plan was changed as the radiation levels were too high for the pilots to fly over the facility.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano confirmed the radiation levels at a little more than 1500 micro sieverts/hour. However, Edano said the levels were stable at that level and were being constantly monitored. He also said that fire brigades are on standby.

The helicopter mission is being seen as a last ditch effort to avert the nuclear meltdown the plant has been heading towards ever since it was struck by the quake fed Tsunami on Friday.

Japan has already ordered emergency workers to withdraw from the plant on Wednesday due to a surge in radiation, temporarily suspending efforts to cool the overheating reactors.