"Asia Nuclear Reactors Face Tsunami Risk"

"JAKARTA, Indonesia – The skeleton of what will soon be one of the world's biggest nuclear plants is slowly taking shape along China's southeastern coast — right on the doorstep of Hong Kong's bustling metropolis. Three other facilities nearby are up and running or under construction.

Like Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi plant they lie within a few hundred miles of the type of fault known to unleash the largest tsunami-spawning earthquakes.

Called subduction zones, these happen when one tectonic plate is lodged beneath another. And because the so-called Manila Trench hasn't been the source of a huge quake in at least 440 years, some experts say tremendous stresses are building, increasing the chances of a major rupture.

Should that happen, the four plants in southern China, and a fifth perched on Taiwan's southern tip, could be in the path of a towering wave like the one that struck Fukushima."

Robin Mcdowell And Margie Mason report for the Associated Press April 18, 2011,  with Charles Hutzler, Muneeza Naqvi, and Mike Schneider.

SEE ALSO:

"Robots Record High Radiation Levels at Japan Reactors" (BBC News)

"Japan Nuclear Plant Starts Pumping Out Radioactive Water To Clear Access To Damaged Reactors" (AP)

"TEPCO President Under Fire From Japan Lawmakers" (AFP)

"Mysterious Trades in a Big Block of Tokyo Electric Shares Draw Regulators’ Interest" (New York Times)

"Liquefaction Major Culprit in Japan Quake" (UPI)

"WHO Eyes 20 Year Nuclear Health Watch in Japan" (AFP)

"Japan's Post-Tsunami Politics: Flailing" (Economist)

"Special Report: The Nuclear Industry's Trillion Dollar Question" (Reuters)