Military helicopters are dumping seawater on a nuclear reactor at the damaged Fukushima power plant in north-eastern Japan, as efforts continue to cool overheated fuel rods.

 

Helicopters began spraying water onto reactor number 3, one of six at the plant, on Thursday.

At least four loads of water have been dumped, trying both to help cool the reactor temperature and to replenish water in a pool holding spent fuel rods.

These pictures were recorded about 35 kilometers from the nuclear power plant, where a crisis has developed after last week's earthquake and tsunami knocked out power running the reactors' cooling systems and ruined back-up generators.

The operation had been scheduled for Wednesday but unacceptable levels of radiation forced its postponement.