Fukushima is now notorious for the nuclear disaster that took place in March 2011, the second worst of its kind after the Chernobyl catastrophe of 1986. An earthquake-triggered tsunami off the Japanese coast damaged backup generators at the Fukushima nuclear plant, leading to failure of the reactors' cooling systems. The residual heat partially melted a number of the fuel rods in three reactors, causing the release of nuclear radiation. A series of explosions further damaged containment buildings and released additional radiation to the surrounding area, leading to a 30 km radius of evacuation.
