US Drone to Inspect Japan's Quake-Crippled Nuclear Plant

TOKYO - The United States will fly a high-altitude drone over Japan's stricken nuclear power plant to take a closer look, Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Thursday.

"Photographs taken by the plane equipped with infrared sensors could provide a useful clue to what is occurring inside the reactor buildings," the agency said.

Operators of the plant again deployed military helicopters on Thursday in a bid to douse overheating reactors, as U.S. officials warned of the rising risk of a catastrophic radiation leak from spent fuel rods.