2024-08-17 19:20:23
The International Atomic Energy Agency warned on Saturday that the safety situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, Europe’s largest, is “deteriorating” after a drone attack near the site, which is occupied by the Russians.
IAEA experts at the site learned of the explosion near the plant on Saturday and immediately went to the site, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a press release.
According to them, the damage “seems to have been caused by a drone equipped with explosives” that hit the road between the two gates of the factory. Russia accuses Ukraine.
“Once again we are seeing an escalation in the nuclear safety and security risks facing the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” said IAEA Director General Raffaello Grossi. The agency added that the “nuclear safety situation” at the plant site was “deteriorating.”
The Zaporizhia power plant has been occupied by Russia since March 2022. It is located in Engodar on the southern bank of the Dnieper River, which is a natural front line between the warring parties.
The plant has been the subject of repeated attacks, with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other.
The statement added that last week, the IAEA field team reported “intense” military activity near the plant. “The team heard frequent explosions, repeated firing from heavy machine guns, rifles and artillery at different distances from the plant,” the IAEA director worried.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of the possibility of a major nuclear accident in Zaporizhia.
On August 11, a fire broke out in the plant’s cooling tower. IAEA experts were able to visit the base of the tower but requested wider access to assess the situation. The IAEA said the fire caused “considerable damage” but posed no immediate threat to nuclear safety.
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