A hydrogen explosion rocked the earthquake-stricken nuclear plant in Japan

A hydrogen explosion rocked the earthquake-stricken nuclear plant in Japan where authorities have been working desperately to avert a meltdown, compounding a nuclear catastrophe caused by Friday's massive quake and tsunami.

The core container was intact, Jiji news agency said, quoting the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), but the local government warned those still in the 20-kilometre evacuation zone to stay indoors. Seven people, six of them soldiers, were missing in the blast, Jiji said.

A TV station also reported a new tsunami on Monday, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

Japan battled through the weekend to prevent a nuclear catastrophe and to care for the millions without power or water in its worst crisis since the Second World War, after the huge earthquake and tsunami that likely killed more than 10,000 people.

Kyodo news agency said 2,000 bodies had been found on Monday on the shores of Miyagi prefecture, which took the brunt of the tsunami.

The government had warned of a possible explosion at the No. 3 reactor because of the buildup of hydrogen in the building housing the reactor. TV images showed smoke rising from the Fukushima facility, 240 km north of Tokyo.

TEPCO had earlier halted injection of sea water into the reactor, resulting in a rise in radiation levels and pressure. The government had warned that an explosion was possible because of the buildup of hydrogen in the building housing the reactor.

A badly wounded nation has seen whole villages and towns wiped off the map by a wall of water, leaving in its wake an international humanitarian effort of epic proportions.