Fukushima’s Latest Near Disaster Was Caused By A Hungry Rat

Fukushima’s Latest Near Disaster Was Caused By A Hungry Rat


While there’s no doubt that the nuclear crisis in Fukushima back in 2011 could have been avoided, a recent discovery suggests that this week’s extended blackout was entirely out of their of hands. Instead, the loss of power lies in the diabolical paws of a now deceased, foresight-lacking rat.

It seems that the rat most likely short-circuited the switchboard with some casual cable-gnawing, which ended up disabling the vital cooling systems that might have prevented the disabling of vital cooling systems. The discovery itself, announced Wednesday, came about as the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s engineers were examining a faulty switchboard for potential causes; inside, they found the charred remains of our ill-fated rodent.

These systems run water to four pools housing over 8800 nuclear fuel rods. It took almost two whole days for the entire system to be restored. While the engineers can’t be blamed for the actions of a rogue rat, this little episode certainly isn’t reassuring in light of the major meltdown just two years ago. And more than that, it confirms some of our biggest fears: rats hate us and will be the forebearers of the Apocalypse.

Stay vigilant, friends. [New York Times via Inhabitat]

Picture: Shutterstock/pixelman


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.