External power was partially restored to the control room of one of the six reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, severely damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, NHK reported.

The lights are again on in the control centre of the number three reactor, which makes situation easier for workers trying to prevent dangerous radiation leaks into the atmosphere.

The number three reactor is a particularly problematic, since it contains a potentially dangerous mixture of uranium and plutonium, AFP reported.

Engineers of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) earlier managed to connect electric cables with five out of six reactors in the plant, reactor number three being the exception.