Hailed as heroes, the workers at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant have been battling to prevent a nuclear meltdown since a massive quake and tsunami crippled the facility on March 11. Now, Japanese nuclear safety officials and the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the devastated plant, have begun releasing images that bring home in a visceral way the challenges these workers face — including the very basic obstacle of working in the dark.

Around the world, many have voiced concern for the scientists, engineers and others who stayed behind, at real risk to their own health, in an effort to contain the crisis and prevent large amounts of radiation from leaking out.

Nearly two weeks since the crisis began, workers have made progress getting the situation under control. This week, lighting was finally restored to some of the reactors’ control rooms. But the situation remains dangerous: On Thursday, two workers were hospitalized after coming in contact with radioactive material while laying electrical cables. Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.