A fire has broken out at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant after the Russian army targeted it “from all sides” in the Ukrainian city of Energodar.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged troops to immediately stop shooting at Zaporizhzhia power station so firefighters can take action.
Officials have said there is a “real threat of nuclear danger”, with Mr Kuleba warning: “If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl.”
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A video on the plant’s YouTube channel appears to show large explosions at the power station.
Plant spokesman Andriy Tuz claimed one of the facility’s six reactors was on fire – and it has nuclear fuel inside. However, Ukraine’s state emergency service said the blaze had broken out at a training building outside the site’s perimeter.
A government official has told the Associated Press news agency that elevated levels of radiation have been detected close to the plant, which generates about 25% of Ukraine’s power.
But the International Atomic Energy Agency says it has been told by local officials that no change has been reported in radiation levels at the site.
Sky correspondent Greg Milam said: “Experts themselves say the reactors themselves should be able to withstand most things in terms of aircraft hitting it, they are designed to withstand an awful lot of impact.
“But the fuel that is there is the real concern and the idea of a leak of any radiation is a real concern.”
2:48Ukraine Invasion: What happened on day eight?
Key developments:
• The UN atomic watchdog agency has expressed grave concern that fighting could cause accidental damage to Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors
• There has been fierce fighting between local forces and Russian troops on the outskirts of Energodar – with casualties reported
• Ukrainian and Russian troops are continuing to battle for control of key cities including Kherson and Mariupol in the south as the war enters its second week
• Russia has agreed to the need for “humanitarian corridors” in Ukraine for the evacuation of civilians and arrival of aid, but there’s no immediate sign of a ceasefire despite a second round of peace talks
