ANKARA

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex said Thursday it successfully retrieved for the first time a tiny piece of melted fuel from a reactor damaged in the massive earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said it collected a small amount of melted fuel with a gripper on the tip of a telescopic device, according to the Kyodo News Agency.


The sample will be transported to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for analysis.

Approximately 880 tons of fuel debris remains in three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which experienced core meltdowns during the nuclear disaster.

The retrieval operation resumed on Oct. 28 after suspensions earlier this year due to worker errors and a glitch that disabled cameras attached to the device.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged when a magnitude 9 earthquake, followed by a tsunami, struck Japan in 2011.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid