An attack at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine has signalled a 'real risk of nuclear disaster', a leading expert has warned.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency gave the warning in a grave statement on Saturday evening..
The head of the IAEA raised concerns about the shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Friday.
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"I'm extremely concerned by the shelling yesterday at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which underlines the very real risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond," Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.
Russian forces occupied the heavily contaminated site soon after the invasion but handed control back to the Ukrainians at the end of March.
However, they have continued to attack it since then.
The Russian seizure of Zaporizhzhia renewed fears that the largest of Ukraine's 15 nuclear reactors could be damaged, setting off another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident.
That was the world's worst nuclear disaster to date, which happened about 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of the capital Kyiv.
The area remains inhabitable and is expected to stay that way for at least another two centuries
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