IAEA warns of worsening safety at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

UN atomic energy watchdog releases statement after impact likely caused by drone strike damages on plant's perimeter

ISTANBUL:

The nuclear safety situation is deteriorating at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine after a drone strike hit the road around the site's perimeter, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday.

Earlier, the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia was informed by officials at the power plant, located in a Russian-held area, that an explosive carried by a drone detonated just outside the facility's protected area.

The impact site was close to essential cooling water sprinkler ponds and approximately 100 meters (328 feet) from the Dniprovska power line, the only remaining 750-kilovolt line supplying electricity to the plant.

The IAEA mission immediately inspected the area and confirmed the damage was likely caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload. While there were no casualties and no impact on the plant's equipment, the blast did damage the road between the facility's two main gates.

It also reported an increase in military activity near the plant over the past week.

"Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant," IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.

"I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides and for strict observance of the five concrete principles established for the protection of the plant," Grossi added.