Vigil marks 32 years since Three Mile Island

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (AP) - More than two dozen people gathered to mark the 32nd anniversary of the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island and pray for those affected by the nuclear crisis in Japan.

WGAL-TV reports about 30 people gathered early Monday outside the nuclear plant near Harrisburg for a vigil to remember the worst commercial nuclear power plant accident in U.S. history.

An equipment failure and operator errors led to partial core meltdown at the plant's Unit 2 reactor around 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979.

Those gathered outside the plant offered their prayers for tsunami-devastated Japan, especially those forced from their homes by the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi (foo-koo-SHEE'-mah dy-EE'-chee) nuclear complex.

Three Mile Island spokesman Ralph DeSantis says the Unit 2 disaster has taught plant operators many valuable lessons.

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Information from: WGAL-TV, http://www.wgal.com