Japan utility releases videos from nuclear crisis

TOKYO (AP) -- Newly released videos taken during the crisis last year at Japan's crippled nuclear plant show the emergency command center shaking violently when hydrogen exploded at one reactor and the plant's chief shouting, "This is serious, this is serious."

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., released videos on Monday of teleconferences between its headquarters in Tokyo and staff at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant during the crisis in March last year.

The company initially refused to release the videos, but was ordered to do so by the government.

A massive earthquake and tsunami hit the plant on March 11 last year, knocking out its cooling systems. The cores of three reactors melted, releasing large amounts of radiation, and explosions of hydrogen gas badly damaged two reactor buildings.

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