“Stop a nuclear accident” three-day schedule begins… “Some of them, including the secretary-general, plan to withdraw first”
Arrival of the inspectorate was delayed due to shelling… Russia and Ukraine still have a battle for responsibility
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to prevent a nuclear disaster at the Zaporiza nuclear power plant in Ukraine arrived at the site on the 1st (local time) and started a three-day mission.
According to AFP, Archyde.com, and TAS, IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Grosi said, “We have gathered a lot of important information over the course of several hours,” and “I have confirmed the necessary things.”
“The mission of the inspectors is to protect nuclear power plants from nuclear accidents,” he said.
He also emphasized, “We will also pursue a plan for inspectors to stay at the nuclear power plant.”
“The IAEA will stay here,” Grossi said in a video released by Russian state-run Ria Novosti.
“Let the world know that the IAEA will stay in Zaporiza,” he said.
However, he did not mention how many people would stay there and for how long.
Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power plant company Energoatom announced that the inspection will be held for three days until the 3rd of this month.
In addition, Secretary-General Grosi added that he would withdraw first, and 5 out of 14 people would remain at the site to complete the inspection.
However, Interfax News reported that 8 to 12 people would stay at the scene, citing a local administration official on the Russian side.
On this day, the inspection team checked the site with a delegation of the Russian state-owned nuclear power plant, Rosatom.
The Rosatom delegation claimed that the unexploded ordnance dropped only tens to hundreds of meters from the spent fuel storage facility and the nuclear reactor was a Uragan rocket from Ukraine.
“Unless Ukraine stops its bombardment, Ukraine, Russia and Europe will all be in serious danger,” they said.
Energoatom said, “It is already a success just that the inspectors finally reached the site.”
Meanwhile, the inspection team departed from Zaporiza, a Ukrainian territory regarding 55 km from the power plant this morning, but their arrival was delayed by regarding three hours due to continuous shelling around the site.
After arriving at a checkpoint on the Ukrainian side regarding 20 km from the nuclear power plant, the inspectors had to wait until the situation calmed down.
Ukraine and Russia blamed each other for the attack, saying it was “to obstruct IAEA inspections.”
/yunhap news