3 evacuees near nuclear plant exposed to radiation
By ERIC TALMADGE and YURI KAGEYAMA, Associated Press
Mar 12, 2011 11:45 AM CST
Cargo containers are strewn about in Sendai, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011. Japan launched a massive military rescue operation Saturday after a giant, earthquake-fed tsunami killed hundreds of people and turned the northeastern coast into a swampy wasteland, while authorities braced for a...   (Associated Press)

An official says three people being evacuated from an area near a quake-damaged Japanese nuclear plant have been exposed to radiation.

The Fukushima prefectural disaster official confirmed their exposure but said they showed no signs of illness.

A blast Saturday at the nuclear plant blew off the walls and roof.

Yoshinori Baba says the three were in a group of evacuees who had waited in a school yard to be picked up by a helicopter.

Officials say the plant has released some radiation because of a cooling problem since Friday's massive quake. They say residents are being evacuated from a 12-mile (20-kilometer) radius as a precaution.

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