The structure housing the Chernobyl reactor after the attack. Photo: IAEA
No radiation leak has been detected after a Russian drone blew a hole in the building housing Chernobyl’s destroyed nuclear reactor, the UN’s nuclear watchdog says.
Ukrainian firefighters have been working around the clock in freezing weather to extinguish fires ignited by Friday’s (local time) drone strike, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says.
There were no reports of any casualties.
He says that an agency team based at the site was given unrestricted access to the site and conducted an extensive walkdown to assess the damage.
It confirmed that there was a 6m-hole in both the outer and inner cladding of the containment structure built to protect the damaged reactor.
The IAEA says structural support beams did not appear to have suffered major damage.
SAFETY
Grossi says the team was told that there had been no change in radiation levels at the site, which was confirmed by the team’s own equipment.
“This was clearly a very serious incident with a drone hitting and damaging a large protective structure at a major nuclear site,” Grossi says.
“As I have stated repeatedly … attacking a nuclear facility is an absolute no-go, it should never happen.”
“It is especially concerning as it comes as we are also seeing an increase in military activity in the area around the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” Grossi says.
“Judging by recent events, nuclear safety remains very much under threat.”
He says the IAEA team was also shown some of the drone debris at the site, including parts of the wings. The drone is being analysed by Ukrainian officials.
The team was informed that the plant plans to install extra sensors for measuring dose rates and aerosol concentrations near the damaged area.
Work cannot start until the remaining fires are totally eliminated to avoid damage to the sensors.
