IAEA Chief: All military action around nuclear plant must stop immediately

(Patria) - The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that fighting near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has caused some damage to the facility and called for an inspection visit to be urgently allowed.

Rafael Mariano Grossi said the situation in Zaporizhzhia has recently "rapidly deteriorated to a very alarming level".

"IAEA experts believe there is no immediate threat to nuclear safety, but this could change at any moment. There could be radiation leakage, and that is unacceptable," Grossi said, as reported by CNN.

"All military action that endangers nuclear safety must stop immediately. Fighting near such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences," he added.

Europe's largest nuclear power plant was taken over by Russian forces in early March. Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of shelling the plant.