Workers install devices at nuclear plant

TOKYO, April 9 (UPI) -- The owners of the quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant are installing devices to prevent contaminated water from re-entering the ocean, officials said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. Saturday began installing a steel barrier at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to keep highly radioactive water from leaking into the Pacific Ocean, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The plant was severely damaged in the March 11 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 10,000 people and left thousands missing.

"Despite being an emergency measure, we apologize for releasing [into the sea] water containing radioactive substances," TEPCO Vice President Sakae Muto said Saturday.

Kyodo News reported the radioactive iodine reading in seawater kept from leaking back into the Pacific is 63,000 times the legal limit.

TEPCO said it would use a small, unmanned helicopter to survey the plant. The drone can take photographs of damage in areas too dangerous for humans.

Japanese officials said about 1,000 Self Defense Forces personnel have been stationed within the evacuation zone around the nuclear power plant to prevent unauthorized entry.