An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country has lost control of the Cheronbyl nuclear power plant after Ukrainian forces fought to defend it from Russian troops, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said it has been informed by Ukraine that "unidentified armed forces" have taken control of all plant facilities, with no casualties or destruction at the site.
The agency is following the Ukraine situation with "grave concern" and is calling for "maximum restraint" to avoid actions that could put Ukraine's nuclear facilities at risk, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on Thursday, according to a statement. The IAEA said it was told that Ukraine's operational nuclear power plants are operating securely and safely.
The plant was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. An explosion and fires at the site, situated about 80 miles north of Ukraine's capital, sent radiation into the air, with large amounts carried over Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
Scores of people were evacuated from the area following the meltdown, and at least 32 people died. Roughly 11,000 cases of thyroid cancer may be linked to the disaster, according to a 2016 report from the World Health Organization.
Decades later, it became a tourist attraction. About a week before the Russian invasion the Chernobyl zone was shut down for tourists.
The plant has been decommissioned and a protective shelter covers the reactor to prevent radiation from leaking. The area around the reactor is off-limits to the public.
"Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted shortly before the power plant was captured.
