A joint memorial service was held Saturday for four workers killed five days earlier in an accident at the Mihama nuclear power plant.
The memorial service at a funeral hall in the seaside city of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, was organized by their employer, Osaka-based Kiuchi Keisoku, which specializes in servicing power and petroleum plants.
The four killed in Japan's deadliest nuclear plant accident were Hiroya Takatori, 29, Kazutoshi Nakagawa, 41, Tomoki Iseki, 30, and Eiji Taoka, 46.
Friends and colleagues delivered eulogies.
"I cannot express my feelings in words when I think of the feelings of the families who lost their loved ones," said Masao Hisazumi, president of Kiuchi Keisoku.
A male employee of the company who knew the four well said, "I know that our job is dangerous, but I never thought that kind of thing would ever happen."
The accident occurred Monday when superheated steam escaped from a ruptured pipe at the Mihama plant's No. 3 reactor. The plant is operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. Seven workers were injured, two seriously.
