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In their own words, members of the Fukushima Fifty -- the emergency crew tackling Japan's nuclear crisis -- tell of the dangers and fears they face.

"It was just pitch black," said Kazuhiko Fukudome, who led a company from Tokyo Fire Brigade's Hyper Rescue Squad to the collapsing number 3 reactor as it started to melt down. "It was the middle of the night and all we had to see with were our own head torches. We could see smoke and vapour coming up from the reactor. Everything else had failed, so they called us in to pump seawater to try to cool the thing. We don't even work for the government, but for the city of Tokyo. They were desperate. They must have been on their last legs."

The squad's riskiest mission began with a phone call at 11pm. "I was at home," Mr Fukudome said. "It was a very simple call -- they just said gather your men and get to Fukushima, and then they hung up. I turned to my wife and said, 'I'm going to Fukushima.' She looked shocked, but then she put on her calm face and she just said, 'Take care.' She knows that if she keeps a brave face, it helps me." ...

（点击《每日电讯报》查看原文）

“福岛50勇士”首次接受媒体采访

        在福岛核电站核泄漏事故现场冒死工作的“福岛50勇士”近日首次接受英国《星期日电讯报》的采访，讲述他们的恐惧与信念。

       “那天夜里漆黑一片，我们借助头灯，看到核反应堆产生的烟和蒸汽。他们通知我们进去喷注海水，力图让机组冷却下来。我们甚至不是为政府工作，而是为了东京市——他们当时已孤注一掷，必须最后一搏。”

       “我当时呆在家里。电话内容很简单，他们仅仅说‘召集你的队员，前往福岛’，之后便挂断了电话。我随即告诉妻子，‘我将前往福岛核电站’。她看上去吓了一跳，但尽力使脸上恢复平静，只说了句‘当心些’。她知道如果她的脸上保持着勇敢的神情，那会是对我的帮助。”

—— 领导东京消防队“超级救援队”进入现场的Kazuhiko Fukudome

       “（那时候）不存在什么换班制，我们24小时待命。我只是到这里来洗个澡，直到第二天再回来一次。为了将我们遭受的核辐射保持在最低水平，我们（现在）是工作一小时、轮休两小时。我们这一组开始时是10个人，现在有30个人了，这样我们才有机会到这里来吃点东西。”

       “如果有一样东西我可以拥有的话，我真的想见见我的妻子和父母。”

—— 电力维修工Tamura

       “他们非常安静。没有人谈论餐食，给他们送上啤酒遭遇的也是拒绝。和他们说话，得到的回应依旧是黑暗，是恐惧，一次又一次地反复涌现。”

—— 　勇士们的临时休息点海王丸号的船长Susumu Toya