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A Japanese worker has died at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after falling into a water tank, the BBC reported. 

He is the second person to have died at the plant that was devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Waves from the tsunami swamped the plant's cooling systems and caused three reactors to melt down.

Nearly 7,000 workers remain at the plant and are trying to stabilise it as well as contain large quantities of toxic water.

The incident follows a report that more workers were injured at the plant compared to the previous year.

The meltdowns at the plant resulted in the contamination of the surrounding area, forcing the compulsory evacuation of 80,000 residents. Most remain unable to go home.

The plant subsequently saw a series of toxic water leaks. Huge volumes of water are being pumped in to cool nuclear reactors, creating contaminated water that must be stored securely in tanks for processing.

On Tuesday, the unnamed worker in his fifties died after he fell into the 10m-high (33ft) water tank, which was empty at the time.

He had been inspecting the container with two other workers at the top.

"He was wearing a harness, but the hook was found tucked inside the harness. This means the harness was not being used. We are investigating whether safety measures were appropriately observed," a spokesman from Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

In March 2014, a worker died after he was buried in rubble while digging at the site.