An explosion shook a quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant today and plumes of smoke rose from the building, live television showed.

Japan’s nuclear safety agency said the blast, at the number 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, was believed to be caused by hydrogen.

“We believe it was a hydrogen explosion. It is not immediately known if it affected the reactor,” said spokesman Mr Ryo Miyake.

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