IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo
(Reuters) - International monitors at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine heard repeated rounds of gunfire that appeared to be aimed at drones reportedly attacking the site's training centre, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said on Thursday.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since routinely accused the other of attacking the plant and posing a threat to nuclear safety.
Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported hearing at least five explosions between 11:30 a.m. and 13:45 p.m. local time, each preceded by gunfire, an IAEA statement said.
The statement gave no indication of the origin of the drones and said there were no reports of any damage to the centre.
"Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
"As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately."
The statement said it was the fourth time this year that the training centre, located just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by drones.
The plant's Russian management had earlier said Ukrainian drones had landed on the roof of the training center in "yet another attack" on the facility.
It said there had been no casualties or damage.
The Zaporizhzhia station, with all its reactors in shut down mode, produces no electricity. Before the war, it generated one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity.
Grossi last week told Reuters that while Russia had "never hidden the fact" that it wanted to restart the plant, this could not be done soon as it lacked water for cooling and a stable power supply.
(Reporting by Urvi Dugar; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Ron Popeski and Chizu Nomiyama)
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