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Fire breaks out at Ukraine nuclear plant amid Russia attack: minister
"If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl!" the minister said, referring to one of the world's worst nuclear disasters that occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.
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An image grab from footage obtained from a livestream from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Authority on March 4, 2022 shows multiple blasts at key a Ukrainian nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia from Russian shelling. (AFP/Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Authority)
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urope's largest nuclear power plant located in Ukraine is under attack by the Russian military and a fire has broken out, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted Friday, the latest concerning development in Russia's weeklong invasion of the neighboring country.
"If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl!" the minister said, referring to one of the world's worst nuclear disasters that occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.
Noting that the Russian army is "firing from all sides" upon Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Kuleba also called on Russia for an immediate cease-fire to allow firefighters to deal with the situation.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service said the fire broke out in a training building, according to Reuters. Background radiation levels remain unchanged at the site, Reuters said, citing the RIA news agency.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of reports of shelling at the nuclear power plant in Ukraine and it was in contact with authorities about the situation.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has six reactors and is located in the southeastern part of Ukraine.
President Joe Biden spoke early Friday with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about a nuclear power plant in Ukraine that local officials said was attacked by Russian forces, a senior US official said.
The official said only that the two presidents spoke, amid reports that the nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, caught fire after Russian attacks on it.
