On August 6, 2012 a video footage was released which shows the head of Fukushima nuclear power plant shouting “We have a big problem, a big problem!” after a reactor exploded due to last year’s tsunami and earthquake disaster. The video footage was among the 150 hours of video conferencing during the first days of the nuclear disaster.
The footage was released by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) which operated the plant. The images showed tensed images of the officials who struggled with the unfolding disaster after the deadly tsunami on March 11, 2011.
The disaster had damaged the emergency power for cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant which went through the meltdowns and explosions. The video footage also included an explosion of the third reactor due to the build up of hydrogen.
Masao Yoshida the plant chief was heard urgently reporting the blast to his bosses at TEPCO’s Tokyo headquarters which is more than 200 km away. Yoshida suddenly shouts during the teleconference, “The head office, the head office! We have a big problem, a big problem!” The video was reluctantly released by TEPCO which covered March 11 disaster more than a year after the incident after immense pressure from the Industry Minister Yukio Edano.
