Worries grow about Ukraine nuke plant amid evacuations
Also: Ukraine war: 'Mad panic' as Russia evacuates town near Zaporizhzhia plant (BBC)
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Source: Associated Press
Worries grow about Ukraine nuke plant amid evacuations
By DAVID RISING
May 7, 2023
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Anxiety about the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant grew Sunday after the Moscow-installed governor of the Ukrainian region where it is located ordered civilian evacuations, including from the city where most plant workers live.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi has spent months trying to persuade Russian and Ukrainian officials to establish a security zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to prevent the war from causing a radiation leak.
The evacuations ordered by the Russia-backed governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia province, Yegeny Balitsky, raised fears that fighting in the area would intensify. Balitsky on Friday ordered civilians to leave 18 Russian-occupied communities, including Enerhodar, home to most of the plant staff.
More than 1,500 people had been evacuated from two unspecified cities in the region as of Sunday, Balitsky said. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the evacuation of Enerhodar was underway.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-safety-russia-war-8eb19ce2ba36781d2fd0c6e2e93c94f3
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Source: BBC
Ukraine war: 'Mad panic' as Russia evacuates town near Zaporizhzhia plant
7 May 2023
Russia has sparked a "mad panic" as it evacuates a town near the contested Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a Ukrainian official says.
Russia has told people to leave 18 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, including Enerhodar near the plant, ahead of Kyiv's anticipated offensive.
The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said there were five-hour waits as thousands of cars left.
The UN's nuclear watchdog warned a "severe nuclear accident" could occur.
Speaking to the BBC's Newshour programme Rafael Grossi - the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - said the evacuation of residents near the nuclear plant indicated the possibility of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces around the plant.
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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65515443
