A Japanese nuclear plant operator says it has given up trying to recover a robot that had stopped functioning inside a stricken reactor.
The robot was deployed on Friday for the first time to survey the condition of melted fuel debris inside reactor 1 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The robot stopped moving five hours after the start of its inspection, Tokyo Electric Power Co said.
The operator postponed a similar survey with another robot on Monday because the first robot is blocking the entry of the second one.
Engineers at the plant suggested that the robot or its remote-control cable might have become caught on something, broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.
The device was sent inside the containment vessel of the reactor that suffered a meltdown four years ago.
The plant operator is seeking to obtain data on radiation levels and temperature in the upper part of the vessel.
The robot - 60 centimetres in length and 9.5 centimetres in height - is equipped with cameras, a thermometer and dosimeter, the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning said.
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