UN nuclear watchdog experts awaiting access to rooftops of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts, who have carried out inspections at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, are awaiting access to rooftops of the plant.

The experts did not observe any heavy military equipment, explosives or mines, Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said in a statement on Thursday.

The agency said their experts visited reactor unit 2 and 4 on July 17-18 and checked the main control room, reactor hall, spent fuel pool, emergency control room, rooms where electrical cabinets of the safety systems are located, and the turbine hall.

"While the IAEA experts saw transport trucks in the turbine halls of units 1, 2, and 4, there was no visible indication of explosives or mines," it said. "The team has not yet been granted requested access to the roofs of the reactors and their turbine halls, including units 3 and 4 which are of particular interest."

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of plotting an attack on Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.

IAEA experts arrived in the plant on Aug. 31, 2022 amid fears of a nuclear catastrophe.