The operator of Japan’s damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is building a huge tent to cover one of the worst-hit reactors.

Officials hope the cover will keep leaked radioactive materials from spreading, prevent rainwater seepage and offer a barrier from further leaks.

The tent is being erected to provide a temporary replacement for the number one reactor’s outer housing shell, which was destroyed in an explosion caused by high pressure the day after Japan’s deadly earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

A spokesman for the power utility Koji Watanabe said that construction was to begin this week.

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