IAEA mission arrives at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

KIEV: A team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reached the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in southern Ukraine, the country's state-run nuclear energy operator Energoatom said.

"The IAEA mission arrived at Zaporizhzhya NPP," Energoatom confirmed on Telegram on Thursday.

The Zaporizhzhia NPP, one of Europe's largest nuclear power plants, has been controlled by Russian forces since early March, but its Ukrainian staff has continued to operate it, Xinhua news agency reported.

In recent weeks, the site of the power plant has been attacked by days of shelling, sparking international concerns about safety of the plant.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who led the delegation, told local reporters that some IAEA inspectors will stay at the site and they "are going to start immediately an assessment of the security and the safety situation at the plant''.

Previous report said the IAEA mission was due to assess the plant's physical damage, determine its safety and security systems' functionality, evaluate staff conditions and perform urgent safeguarding activities.