New video footage has been released by the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant showing the scale of the destruction and workers inside buildings.

There were scenes of water pumps in use and operators dressed in protective suits surveying the damage inside some of the buildings. Recently repaired gauges show that it is likely the fuel rods in unit One have melted.

Despite fresh data showing worse-than-expected damage inside the reactors, TEPCO still aims to bring the radiation-leaking plant to a stable cold shutdown within six to nine months. The Japanese government also announced on Tuesday that it is continuing to work to resolve the nuclear crisis by early next year.