Fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant unlikely caused by drone attack: UN watchdog

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that its experts visited the damaged cooling tower at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and found no remains of a drone.

"Based on the observations, the team assessed that it was unlikely that the primary source of the fire began at the base of the cooling tower," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

His remarks came a day after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations following reports of a fire breaking out at one of the cooling systems of the Russia-controlled power plant.

Russia accused Ukrainian forces of striking the cooling tower with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian troops of setting fire to the plant.

While visiting the impacted cooling tower, Grossi said the team observed burnt areas in the internal equipment higher up, near the water nozzle distribution level.

Samples of the debris, including burnt and molten plastic, were collected, he said, adding: "Neither tire nor drone remains were observed during the walkdown."

The team confirmed that there were no significant signs of disturbance of the debris, ash or soot located at the base of the cooling tower, and the nuclear safety of the plant was not affected, he stressed.

"The team has not been able to draw definitive conclusions on the basis of the findings and observations so far," Grossi said, adding the IAEA will continue its overall analysis after an additional review and access to the water nozzle distribution level and the cold-water basin.