Anxiety about the safety of Europe's largest nuclear power plant is growing after the Moscow-installed governor of the Ukrainian region where it is located ordered civilian evacuations.
Russian soldiers are evacuating people from Zaporizhzhia and 18 nearby towns, ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi has called on both Russia and Ukraine to ensure that there will be no fighting near the Zaporizhzhia plant to prevent what he calls "the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences".
The towns and villages being evacuated include Enerhodar, which is home to most of the plant's staff.
The Russia-backed governor of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia province, Yevgeny Balitsky, said more than 1,600 people, including more than 600 children had been evacuated as of Sunday.
The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the evacuation of Enerhodar was underway.
Moscow's troops seized the plant soon after invading Ukraine last year, but Ukrainian employees have continued to run it during the occupation.
Ukrainian authorities said a 72-year-old woman was killed and three others were wounded when Russian forces fired more than 30 shells at the city of Nikopol, about 10 kilometres from the plant, on Sunday.
Mr Grossi said the evacuation of civilians suggested a further escalation.
"The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," he said.
"We must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences for the population and the environment.
"This major nuclear facility must be protected."
Although none of the plant's six reactors are operating because of the war, the station needs a reliable power supply for essential cooling systems.
ABC/AP/Reuters
