June 1, 2011 1:55 AM

UN: Japan nuke plants ill-prepared for tsunami

Smoke billows from the Unit 3 reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan in this file photo. (AP/TEPCO)

(AP) 

TOKYO - An International Atomic Energy Agency team says Japan's nuclear authorities underestimated the possibility of a massive tsunami hitting the Dai-ichi power plant but praised the overall response.

Special Section: Disaster in Japan

The preliminary report submitted Wednesday said Japan's response was exemplary. However, it added that the tsunami hazard for several nuclear sites was underestimated and called for greater preparation.

Japan nuke plant's tsunami plan was 1 page long

The IAEA team was to submit its full report at an IAEA conference in Vienna from June 20 to 24. The experts were in Japan for one week.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi facility was crippled when a tsunami generated by a major earthquake hit Japan on March 11.

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© 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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