A robot's attempt to get a sample of the melted fuel at Japan's damaged nuclear reactor is suspended

An attempt to use a robot to remove a sample of melted fuel from Japan's tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was suspended due to a technical issue.

The work was stopped when workers noticed that five 1.5-meter (5-foot) pipes used to maneuver the robot were placed in the wrong order and could not be corrected within the time limit for their radiation exposure, the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said.

The pipes were to be used to push the robot inside and pull it back out when it finished. Once inside the vessel, the robot is operated remotely from a safer location.