All reactors reconnected to power lines

The development came as the tsunami-hit northeast was again jolted by a series of powerful quakes,including two measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale.

Japanese workers struggling to avert a nuclear disaster succeeded in reconnecting all six reactors to power lines at the quake-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant on Tuesday,marking a significant progress in the tedious task of bringing the radiation-leaking complex under control.

The development came as the tsunami-hit northeast was again jolted by a series of powerful quakes,including two measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale.

In a major relief,engineers working overtime at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant reconnected all six reactors to external power,the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said Tuesday,according to Kyodo news agency.

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The progress was made despite the efforts to restore power and cool down spent nuclear fuel pools being hampered by the detection of smoke at the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors.

However,TEPCO cautioned that a lot of work still needed to be done before electricity can actually be turned on at the plant. The company said workers are checking all additional equipment for damage to make sure cooling systems can be safely operated.

Authorities earlier sought the help of the US military in tackling the extremely tough situation at the plant,close to which highly concentrated radioactivity was detected in iodine and cesium in seawater,sparking fears about food safety.

The Fukushima prefectural government denied the possibility that seafood from the area was distributed to markets,saying fishing had not been conducted near the nuclear plant.

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Firefighters and Self-Defense Forces also managed to throw 18 tons of seawater into the boiling storage pool on Tuesday.