Experts compare Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters

MOSCOW. March 26. KAZINFORM Japan lost much time in dealing with the consequences of an accident at its quake-hit Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Russian experts said. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

People who dealt with removing the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, or 'liquidators,' compared the two accidents.

"Intensive activity started in Chernobyl on the first day [since the accident], but in Japan, it's very slow. In my opinion, they lost much time and still can't control what is happening," Col. Gen. Nikolai Antoshkin, one of the Chernobyl liquidators, told RIA Novosti on Friday.

The confirmed death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami stands at more than 10,000, according to police, and over 17,440 are listed as missing.

Operations have continued to restart the cooling systems at Fukushima's six reactors to try to avoid a major radioactive release.

Food, water and fuel in prefectures around Fukushima are in short supply over contamination fears, while countries including the United States, Russia and Australian have banned the imports of food products from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version