The Latest News From Japan

As Japan struggles to contain partial meltdowns at two nuclear reactors, over 200,000 people have been evacuated from the immediate area. An explosion is feared at another reactor, and both were experiencing some level of core melting. Meanwhile, officials said the death toll in Miyagi prefecture is over 10,000. The prime minister has doubled the number of deployed troops to 100,000. Here's a roundup of the latest news, with updates throughout the day.

• Japanese officials say two nuclear reactors have likely suffered partial meltdowns, and an explosion is feared at another reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which experienced a previous explosion yesterday in another reactor. Last night, seawater was used in a desperate effort to cool reactor No. 1. Today, cooling also failed at reactor No. 3. According to the Times, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said: "The possibility that hydrogen is building up in the upper parts of the reactor building cannot be denied. There is a possibility of a hydrogen explosion."
• The AP reports that the police chief of Miyagi prefecture warned that the death toll there would top 10,000.
• Severe power outages are expected throughout the country, as about one third of Japan's electricity is drawn from nuclear power. Gasoline and other types of fuel are also in very short supply.
• The Guardian, reporting from the coastal town of Shintona, recalls a woman's frantic effort to save her elderly parents: 'They were still in the living room when the surge hit. Though she gripped their wrinkled hands, it was too strong. Her elderly mother and father were ripped from her grasp, screaming "I can't breathe" before they were dragged down.'
• Speaking to reporters today, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said of the disaster, "This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago." Millions of quake and tsunami survivors are without water, food and basic supplies.
• The Japan Meteorological Agency said today that a 7.0 magnitude quake was likely within the next three days, as increased tectonic activity has been reported.
• The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has horrifying before and after aerial images of the tsunami zone along Japan's north coast. (via Felix Salmon)
• Miraculously, a 60-year-old man was rescued 9 miles off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture this morning. He was found clinging to a piece of his home's roof.
• As of 12:36 ET, the official death toll from the earthquake and tsunami was 1,597, authorities said.

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[Image via AP]