The United Nations’ atomic watchdog says continued damage to the facility risks a “major nuclear accident.”
A series of drones targeted the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine, damaging parts of the installation including the dome above one of the reactors.
The International Atomic Energy Commission, which has been in contact with Ukrainian and Russian authorities, confirmed the damage to the facility and that there was one casualty in the attack. Russia accuses Ukraine of the drone attack, although Kyiv denies responsibility. Russia’s state-owned nuclear agency reported that three were wounded in the attack, but said that there was no sign of any major damage or changes in radiation levels.
The attack resulted in the most serious damage to the nuclear power plant, which sits near the front lines of the ongoing war, in more than a year. The IAEA, the United Nations’ main watchdog organization for atomic energy, warned that there is the risk of a serious accident if fighting and attacks on the power plant continue.
