In Japan, the nuclear crisis continues for the third week with increased concerns of highly radioactive iodine seeping from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant complex into the sea. Hidehiko Nishiyama, spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, told reporters that, new readings show contamination in the ocean has spread about 1.6 kilometers farther north of the nuclear site than before. Radioactive iodine-131 was discovered just offshore from Unit 5 and Unit 6 at a level 1,150 times higher than normal. Closer to the plant, radioactivity in seawater tested about 1,250 times higher than normal last week and climbed to 1,850 times normal over the weekend. The nine-magnitude earthquake and Tsunami on the 11th of this month had knocked out power to the system that cools the dangerously hot nuclear fuel rods. Meanwhile workers on Monday, resumed the laborious task of pumping out hundreds of tons of radioactive water from inside several buildings at the unit plant No.6. Nuclear safety officials said, the water must be removed and safely stored before work can continue to power up the plant's cooling system. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said, the contaminated water, discovered last Thursday, has been emitting radiation that measured more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour in a recent reading at Unit 2 some 1 lakh times of normal. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the contaminated water in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a temporary partial meltdown of the reactor core. He termed it very unfortunate adding that the increase in radiation appeared limited to the unit. ‘Meanwhile, a strong earthquake shook the region and prompted a brief tsunami alert early on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency said, the quake off the battered Miyagi prefecture coast in the northeast measured magnitude-6.5. No damage or injuries were reported.