Drone attack reportedly kills worker at Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
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Editor's note: This is a developing story.
A drone attack on Oct. 29 reportedly killed an employee of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X.
The victim was reportedly a welder working at the plant's centralized repair workshop, according to the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that attacks on nuclear plant personnel are unacceptable and violate the agency's Seven Indispensable Pillars for Nuclear Safety and Security during armed conflict.
Grossi renewed his call for maximum military restraint around nuclear facilities to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident.
The IAEA did not specify whether the attack was carried out by Russian or Ukrainian forces, or provide further details.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, located in the city of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, is Europe's largest nuclear power plant. It has been under Russian occupation since the start of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The plant has repeatedly faced threats to nuclear safety, including drone attacks, disruptions to external power supplies, and incidents affecting plant workers.
On Oct. 3, the IAEA reported a series of drone attacks that damaged transformers at the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, threatening the nuclear facility's external electricity supply.
In August, a drone explosion at a bus stop used by plant personnel killed one person and injured 15 others, according to the IAEA.
The agency has maintained a permanent monitoring presence at the Russian-occupied facility since September 2022 over concerns of the risk of a nuclear accident.
The reported death at the nuclear plant came on the same day Russian forces launched multiple missile and drone attacks against the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least 14 people, including a child, according to Ukraine's National Police.
