New Delhi
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station has sustained major damages to its âphysical integrityâ due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Rafael Grossi, the director general of IAEA, led the inspection of the power plant in south Ukraine and concluded that the shelling has caused considerable damage to its structure.
âIt is obvious that the plant and physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times,â Grossi told reporters after the visit, according to Reuters.
Also read | Afghanistan: Blast rocks mosque in Herat, casualties feared
âI worried, I worry and I will continue to be worried about the plant. We spent there four or five hours. I have seen a lot, and I have my people there, we were able to tour the whole site,â he added.
While the inspection was more or less over, Grossi told reporters that they will be staying âuntil Sunday or Monday, continuing with the assessmentâ. âWe are not going anywhere. The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving â itâs going to stay there,â Reuters quoted Grossi as saying.
Also read | Donald Trump and his supporters are 'threat to American democracy': Joe Biden
The Zaporizhzhia plant is currently in a complex situation as although it is operated by a Ukrainian crew, the control remains with the Russian military who took over the facility in March. That has resulted in constant conflicts between the two sides and it has been detrimental to the plantâs infrastructure.
Earlier, the United Nations asked Russia to withdraw troops from the nuclear plant considering the sensitive nature of the facility. However, the Russian forces did not pay heed to the request.