video transcript

Japanese authorities scramble to avert a meltdown at the stricken Fukushima nuclear complex, about 150 miles north of Tokyo following a hydrogen explosion at two of its reactors. As Japan faces a nuclear crisis Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano is offering assurances. SOUNDBITE: Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano , saying (Japanese): "Even if we were to encounter the worst case scenario, it will not be the same situation as Chernobyl." Tokyo electric, the company in charge of operating the nuclear reactor explained what happened at their facility Tokyo Electric's vice president, Takashi Fujimoto. SOUNDBITE: Tokyo Electric's vice president, Takashi Fujimoto , saying (Japanese): "The water level gradually receded from the top of the fuel rod, and the water in the area of the fuel rod has scaled down. There is a possibility that the fuel rod is exposed, and that is what we think." The death toll from the quake is expected to exceed 10,000. Thousands more are still missing. The earthquake was the fifth most powerful to hit the world in the past century. Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.