Smoke seen at Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, but no radiation increase: IAEA

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Smoke was observed rising from the administrative building of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, but there was no increase in radiation levels, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Wednesday.

“There was no impact to nuclear safety at the plant, no casualties were reported, and using IAEA monitoring equipment, the team members found no increase in radiation levels,” the IAEA said in a statement, citing its director general, Rafael Grossi.

The statement said that during a walkthrough, the team observed burnt trees close to the cooling towers on Tuesday.

“The team continues to investigate the event as part of its ongoing monitoring of nuclear safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP),” it added.

While the incident had no direct impact on the plant’s nuclear safety, the IAEA team at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant continues to hear military activity daily.