Water with radioactive material leaked from a reactor of a nuclear plant in Niigata prefecture of central western Japan late Monday, after the area was hit by a major quake in the morning.

According to the operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., water containing radioactive material leaked from the No. 6 nuclear reactor at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata. The No. 6 reactor was suspended at the time for regular checks.

Such contaminated water may have been discharged into the sea, Jiji press said.

Also due to the 10:13 a.m. (0113 GMT) quake measuring at 6.8 on the Richter scale, an electric transformer caught fire at the No. 3 reactor of the nuclear plant. The fire was brought under control around noon.

Seven people were killed due to the quake and over 700 were injured.

Editor: Yan