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'Lied to' US sailors sue Fukushima owners

They claim Tepco lied about radiation levels in the area, exposing them to harm

Nearly 80 US sailors sued Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant operator Tepco for £600 million in a San Diego court yesterday, claiming it lied about the high level of radiation in the area.

They claim that Tepco repeatedly said there was no danger to the crew when they were actually being bombarded with radiation.

Tepco retorted that it was “wholly implausible” that military commanders would rely on its safety information.

A 2012 lawsuit was dismissed because it named the Japanese government, which owns the utility, and a judge said that put it beyond the reach of a US court.

The amended suit names only the utility.

The 79 sailors served on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which ferried food and water to survivors in the wake of the earthquake that triggered the tsunami and the nuclear disaster.

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