Nuclear fuel at Fukushima reactor possibly melted twice, says study

Fuel inside one of the reactors at the nuclear complex in Fukushima Prefecture has possibly breached the vessel after melting again at the bottom, according to a study.

The fuel was believed to have been kept cool at the bottom of the pressure vessel after its core suffered a meltdown,

The study by Fumiya Tanabe, an expert in nuclear safety, said most of the fuel at the No. 3 reactor may have fallen into the containment vessel underneath, and if so, the current method used to cool the reactor would need reviewing, which could force the plant operator to revise its schedule to contain the five-month-old disaster.