UN atom chief: Japan reactor vessels remain intact

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami had shaken and flooded nuclear power plants but their reactor vessels remained intact and radiation release was limited.

"The Japanese authorities are working as hard as they can, under extremely difficult circumstances, to stabilise the nuclear power plants and ensure safety," Yukiya Amano said in a statement on Monday to member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. (Reuters)