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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> had is bbc world news live from tokyo. within the last four hours a third explosion occurred. this time it is reactor two which has exploded. cities and towns reduced to rubble, the overall death toll is staggering, perhaps as many as 10,000 and the country is coming to grips with a recovery that will take years. >> nobody expected what happened here shortly after the earthquake, a massive wall of water swept everything down this valley for as far as the eye could see. >> other headlines around the world, protesters set up

roadblocks as thousands of saudi troops entered the country. a no fly zone is discussed over libya. nothing is agreed. member states are too divided. welcome to tokyo. let's bring you up to speed with the nuclear aspect. a third explosion was heard in the power plant, this time in reactor two. there was also an sploggedse yesterday and on saturday. this is a pretty alarming picture. we can confirm that officials said the radiation levels around the reactor are increasing and reached their

legally high limit and might be rising further. at the same time there are fears that containment vessel around the second reactor may have been damaged in all of this. let's listen to what state television had to say. >> a big blast was heard at number two reactor indicating that something wrong happened to the container vessel. we are continuing the injection operation to the pressure vessels but the operators who are not directly engaged in this operation are ordered to be evacuated to safer locations. >> we can tell you some of the workers have been evacuated. although not all of them. 80,000 people together to an excollusion zone 60 miles or so

from the plant. from one of the evacuation centers outside the exclusion zone that this report is sent in. >> a second explosion. this time at reactor number three. the blast was huge. the cause believed to be a build up of hydrogen. we assume there was a similar explosion at the third reactor, at this point we can confirm the container of the reactor is sound. experts also expect there is a possibility of radio active particles being set free is low. hours before people nearby were trying to leave. those who had ignored earlier warnings are now desperate to get out. further away they were being

scanned for contamination. a few have shown slightly raised levels of radiation but nowhere near dangerous levels. japan relies on nuclear for a third of its electricity, the trust in the technology and power company officials are being shaken. >> i don't know whether we can believe them, not only their comments but the government. i have to take our own action. >> i am very scared. figot infected by radiation there would be a big risk of getting cancer. >> after being checked people are being placed in evacuation centers across the city. this place is about 40 miles

from the nuclear power station. for some that is not far enough believing they need to leave the region all together and go to other parts of japan. >> that report was filed before the third explosion. what about the human toll? my colleague reports. >> the road, it is a junior tow a place no longer there. once a pleasant fishing port, now gone. emergency teams heading in from all over japan, but there is little to find, expect bodies. people used to come here to rent bikes and cycle along the seaside.

but at 2:46 friday afternoon it was wiped from the map. >> live tsunami struck the area. >> the houses, most made of wood to withstand earthquakes were torn to pieces by the power of the waves. >> it is hard to believe but 7,500 people used to live here. where i am standing, these are the steps to someone's house. the porch and the foundation to all that remains. at this patch is another home to another family, all obliterated. what is left, just a book. a doll. a lamp. and a coffee maker. that is it. >> it is a nightmare. i wanted it to be a dream. this is where i was born. my granddad and his dad, generation after generation, but it seems impossible life

could ever return here. this is the biggest tsunami to sweep across parts of the nation. my colleague went to this town completely devastated by friday's catastrophe. >> it is calm now but there are many clues along the coastline to the violence, these waters and the earthquake brought to japan. >> the waves kept coming and coming. he raced from his boat up the hill. its impact was immediate and devastating. those who did not make it to high ground were swept away the wave was more than three stories high.

the railway line and bridge tossed aside. cars crushed or dumped on top of buildings. boats marooned far inland. the tsunami warning came. but for many there was not enough time. it has taken days for the roads along the coast to have been cleared of debris. some started drifting back to see what they can salvage. as we filmed them there was suddenly panic and word spread of another tsunami. >> something up the hill. everyone just running now trying to get as far inland as possible. we don't know if it is coming or not but it is too risky not to run. >> it did not come but regular aftershocks don't help people's nerves. it is impossible to know just how many people are buried among the tons of mud, wood and

twisted metal. it is being called japan's worst tragedy since the second world war, the destructive force of nature. bbc news, japan. >> the cost of this disaster is calculated on so many levels, first and foremost human. but also economic. and the cost in terms of reconstruction is calculated in tens of billions. this is indeed the worst crisis the country suffered since the second world war and how it will unfold is a matter of days, weeks and months ahead. >> our thanks to matt for that. this is bbc news. still to come confrontation, protesters set up roadblocks as

a thousand saudi troops enter the country. japan's economy, one of the richest in the world has been paralyzed by the impact of the earlingt quake and tsunami. some of the leading manufacturors have closed all of their factories. the bank of japan has spent billions trying to keep the financial markets calm. >> investors try to guess how badly japan's major companies can be hit. toyota and nisssa had to stop production because they are running out of energy for their factories. >> we stopped production as of today. we are taking the opportunity to assess how affected each operation is.

it is extraordinarily complex. it is not just our factories. it is our suppliers. obviously some of the suppliers are even within the exclusion area for the nuclear plant. >> insurance companies which have been hardedest. the estimated physical damage from the earthquake and tsunami will cost $51 billion to repair and the total lost to the economy could total $99 billion making this disaster about as costly as hurricane katrina in new orleans in 2005. damage to oil refineries forces petro pumps, empty shelves on the food stores and government says it will impose power cuts. the bank of japan is injecting $184 billion into the money markets hoping banks will use this to lend to households and

businesses when they come to rebuild following the disaster. >> welcome. if you are just joining us this is bbc news with the headlines. a third explosion has been heard at the nuclear plant within the last few hours. police in japan believe more than 10,000 people may have lost their lives in the northern coastal area. joining us from the united states now is an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at idaho state university joining us on webcam ra. you are no doubt hearing this latest information, start of the evacuations from the nuclear power plant there. is it out of control in your opinion do you think?

>> in my opinion what has been happening is very important to the nuclear industry. but they seem to have it under control in terms of cooling the reactors and preventing release to the immediate environment. i think the current situation of evacuating staff is precautionary. >> but half of the fuel rods we are being told are now exposed. that has to be a serious situation. surely there has to be a radioactive release from the open rods now, doesn't it? >> the containment, the primary containment for the unit two reactor, which is the one you referred to with exposed rods has not been jeopardized. the explosions that occurred have occurred outside the primary containment, hydrogen.

there was minor amounts released with that that do come out in gas, especially when the hydrogen gas is released from containment. >> all of the information we are given seems to be -- the japanese being careful with their wording of all of this. but what are the pepper cushions for the global nuclear industry? >> i think it will be what we choose them to be. i don't think that the major concern of the japanese people right now is these reactors. i think all of the other things that happened with their infrastructure and the loss of the thousands of lives are a much bigger concern. what we choose to do with the information about the reactors in japan will be just that, what we choose.

we are seeing more or less than act of god here with what has happened to the reactors in japan as opposed to typical emergencies that are planned for in the design of nuclear reactors. let's move on to other news for the time being. troops from arab gulf states, including handleds of saudi arabia moved in to bahrain. the shi'ia led protest movement caused the arrival of foreign troops a declaration of war. james robbins has more. >> an extraordinary convoy, saudi armed forces rolling in across the causeway which links the two gulf kingdoms. it is extraordinary because it is the first time an arab regime asked for the support of

foreign troops and it suggests that the ruling royal family is not at all sure it can hang on to power without their help. saudi arabia say its deployed 1,000 troops, a response to mounting protests on the streets. clashes between protesters and police spread yesterday after a month of confrontation. on one side demonstrators from the majority community, shi'ia muslim. on the other forces defending the power of the minority community, the sunni muslims who control parliament and make up the elite around the sunni royal family. this is a sectarian clash about the dominance of the king and his ruling family and hold the main military posts. some want it gone replaced by a republic. others say they can stay

provided real power passes to the people. a statement by the country's crown prince insisting the way is open to national dialogue butt opposition regards the arrival of foreign forces provockcasion. >> your arm sewelcome when our country faces danger from the outside. but we will consider you part of an occupation when you come to oppress the people. >> it is home to the united states' fifth fleet so trouble worries washington. the state department is calling on all armed forces to support dialogue and not to suppress legitimate protests. but the arrival of foreign troops could change the nature of this power struggle and it does risk deepening and not healing divisions. james robbins, bbc news. >> libya, troops are continuing to advance eastward into areas

held by the rebels. opposition forces say they have come under heavy attack and there are reports that gadhafi's forces have retaken a small coastal town. >> the frontline is confused but slowly gadhafi's forces seem to be pushing towards the rebel held town. next is the much bigger challenge, the last town. at a news conference the opposition unveiled their top military commander, colnel gadhafi's former interior minister insisting the war is entering a crucial phase. >> the battle is very important to us. we feel the enemy will have serious logistical problems in supplying their troops.

>> and what about the town itself. surely colnel gadhafi does not have enough troops yet to attack this city of a million people and would he use his air power against the civilian population here? many of the fighters at the hospital were injuried in attacks by colnel gadhafi's warplanes. this man was wounded in an air strike on friday in an area recaptured by the government and now 100 miles from the frontline. this man lost a hand as he was caught in another air strike. the surgeon treating him had a simple message. >> i want no fly zone. no fly zone will decrease the number of people that are injured or killed. >> most of the casualties are fighters, many have been caught up in air attacks. as the fighting gets closer to

this major city there is a potential for more civilian casualties, especially if colnel gadhafi's aircraft operate unchecked. everyone here is watch to see if the west engages actively to curb colnel gadhafi's forces. >> now back to japan. around the world there is an amazing outpouring of support for those effected by the effect quake and tsunami. millions are reaching out to help. in the united states it has been a tense wait for some japanese-americans who have not heard from family and friends who live in the hardest hit areas. >> it is an anxious time for new york's japanese community. those that came here to make a new life are consumed by the crisis back home.

in the east village i met this man who is watching what is going on with a growing sense of unease. >> most of my worries are my friends. >> have you heard anything from your friends? >> no. i tried to reach maybe 10 times, calling and emailing. but no response. >> it has been an agonizing few days for the japanese community in new york. first the shock of what happened and then the waiting. communications are poor. and news of friends and loved ones is hard to come by. online the search for japan's missing goes on. friends and family post descriptions of their loved ones. after four days news is beginning to get through bringing both grieve and relieve. the east village is home to this restaurant where fish is

cooked. the manager was desperately worried about his wife's parents who live closest to the epiy center of the earthquake and at last got news by twitter. >> they are still alive in their house. that was in the morning at like 5:00. i got the information from the internet. >> this man who manages a chain of japanese restaurants has at last managed to talk to his aging parent. >> yesterday we had a phone conversation with my mother who is old, 94. so i couldn't contact them for three days. finally we did. she was safe. if i think about the other people, over 10,000 people missing, it is kind of worrisome. i am worried about the economy

also. >> being nearly 7,000 miles away from the devastation and suffering leaves many feeling helpless. fundraising is something that can be done amid the waiting and the hoping. >> japan has been prepared for a massive earthquake for years but the scale of this disaster put intense pressure on the medical and evacuation teams. >> look at this. now look again. remind yourself that this is japan. when nature unleashes all of its power, even the mightiest nations are brought low. so prone is japan to earthquakes that under its emergency plan this primary school was earmarked as a refuge. exercise drills paid off.

in times of crisis the teachers double as aid workers. >> we are trying to feed 2,000 people, maybe more. we will keep going as long as our supply of rice lasts. >> this woman and her children have no power or water and she does not know how long she will be here. i am very worried for the children she said. i want to get them home as quickly as possible. around the city food is running out. but this super market an employee tells customers the shelves are almost empty. >> we are a few miles away from the worst of the damage. these people are affected all of the same. they are having to queue up for every day items that a few days ago they took for granted. this woman has looked around the area and this is the only shop that has got anything. the queue stretches for hundreds of meters.

there is patience and order. it is the japanese way. even in times of crisis. it is designed to shovel snow. now the problem is thick, slimy mud. this family has come to help their grandmother. she describes seeing the white wave hurdling towards her. for 55 years she has lived here. the tsunami is not going to drive her out. the great wave is gone now. legacy is not just the damage but the reminder of how flimsy our sophisticated modern world really is. >> you can find out more about the japan earthquake and the tsunami and that third explosion at our bbc news website. have a look if you have access to the internet.

>> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to

work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los presented by kcet los angeles.