ISTANBUL

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard explosions and observed smoke coming from a nearby location, the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday.

"The IAEA team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard explosions and saw smoke coming from a nearby location where the plant said one of its auxiliary facilities was attacked today (Saturday)," according to a statement by the IAEA, citing the head of the watchdog, Rafael Grossi.

The team was informed by ZNPP officials that the facility, located 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) from the plant's perimeter, was hit by shelling and drone strikes starting at 9 am local time (0600GMT), coinciding with the time the team heard nearby military activity, it said.

Smoke from the area was still visible later in the afternoon, it stated.

The incident is the most recent in a series of events in recent weeks and months that underscore nuclear safety risks amid the military conflict at ZNPP, the statement highlighted.

“Any attack in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant – regardless of the intended target – poses potential risks also for nuclear safety and must be avoided.

"Once again, I call for maximum military restraint near nuclear facilities to prevent the continued risk of a nuclear accident,” the statement quoted Grossi.