An underwater robot has captured what is believed to be the first images of melted nuclear fuel deposits inside Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, BBC reports.
Large amounts of solidified lava-like rocks and lumps in layers were seen underneath its unit three reactor.
If confirmed, it would be a major milestone in the clear-up operation.
The power plant was hit by a tsunami in 2011, causing the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
More than 200,000 people were forced to leave their homes because of nuclear contamination concerns when three reactors failed at the plant after it was flooded.
Parts of the damaged reactors are still highly contaminated, with radiation and robotics playing a crucial part in the clean-up.
Locating the fuel debris in each of the damaged reactors is an important part of the decommissioning process, which is expected to take decades.
More than 18,500 people were killed or went missing when an earthquake triggered the massive tsunami that led to the Fukushima meltdown in 2011.
No-one died directly in the Fukushima disaster. However, three former Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) executives are currently on trial on charges of negligence resulting in death and injury of more than 40 patients evacuated from a hospital near the plant.
