Radioactive leak spreads in Japan

Contaminated water from Japan’s leaking Fukushima nuclear complex has spread to a trench outside the plant, officials said.

The Tokyo Electric Power Co. measured radioactive iodine at more than 100,000 times the normal level, far exceeding the amount at which cancer risks occur.

Workers have been pumping water on the reactors since an earthquake and tsunami knocked out power to the fuel rods’ cooling system on March 11.

Several strong earthquakes have shaken Japan since, including a magnitude-6.5 on Monday. No damage or injuries were reported from that quake, but the one 17 days ago killed at least 11,000 people and caused more than $300 billion in damage.

Now, documents are showing authorities may have ignored evidence the northeast coast was prone to tsunamis when they chose to build the Fukushima plant there.

With files from the Associated Press