Tokyo Electric Power Co. said on Mar. 31 that radioactive iodine nearly 10,000 times the legal threshold was detected in the groundwater near the turbine building of Reactor No. 1 of the plant.

TEPCO said it was very high level and there was the possibility of rain mixed with radioactive substances in the air falling under ground.

Radioactive iodine 4,385 times the maximum level permitted under law were detected in a seawater sample collected Wednesday afternoon near the plant.

Radiation-contaminated vegetables and milk were found in Fukushima Prefecture and it was confirmed that beef in the Prefecture contained a radioactive material exceeding the legal limit.

A large amount of radioactive materials were detected on more than 1,000 dead bodies in the northeastern coastal areas of Japan to lay a hurdle in the rescue work.

Radioactive substances that leaked from Japan continue spreading to different countries and regions.

Radioactive materials were detected in 15 states of the U.S. Radioactive iodine was recently detected in milk produced in Washington and California States, increasing the public worry and uneasiness.

Xinhua News of China reported that a very tiny amount of radioactive materials was found in 25 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities including Beijing and Tianjin as of Mar. 31.

Meanwhile, damage caused by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami is on the steady increase.

The National Police Agency of Japan said the death toll increased to 11,620 and that of unaccounted for to 16 464 as of 15:00 Friday.

According to a survey by the Agency of Land and Geography, more than 30 percent of urban areas in 13 cities, chos and sons of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures were submerged owing to the killer quake and ensuing tsunami.

Hardest hit is Miyagi Prefecture. It was reported that 50 percent of the whole area of an autonomous region including farmland remains inundated.

Aftershocks are going on.

Magnitude 5.5 quake occurred in the eastern coastal area of Honshu Island on Friday. Its epicenter was over 20 km deep in the waters off Iwate Prefecture.

Magnitude 6.0 quake occurred in the waters off Miyagi Prefecture on Mar. 31.