Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), owner and operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, released 2,145 photos taken from March 15 to April 11, 2011 by different photographers, including its employees and subcontractors, on February 1 this year. This is the biggest release of images following the first set of 600 photos made public in September last year. According to the company, it still had to withhold 849 photos in order to protect sensitive data relating to nuclear technology.
The photographs give us a closer look at the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. We can see in several photos how machines are being sprayed with water to cool them down. There are those that show completely-wrecked reactors releasing thick clouds of smoke into the atmosphere. And, people wearing protective gear braving the ruins at an attempt, probably, to salvage what can still be saved.
Almost two years after the disaster, reactor units have already cooled down and the situation is somewhat in control. But, tens of thousands are still unable to go back to their homes that surrounded the power plant. According to scientists, we can count 40 years before some of the areas are safe for people to return, others, however, may never be inhabitable again.
