Ukraine power plant needs safety zone to avoid nuclear disaster, says IAEA

Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency leave after inspecting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, south-eastern Ukraine. on September 1 (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is operating in emergency mode for the fifth straight day due to the war in Ukraine, prompting the head of the UN atomic watchdog to call for the establishment of an immediate safety zone around it to prevent a nuclear accident.

The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant came under the control of Russian forces early in the war but is being operated by Ukrainian staff.