The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Saturday of the risk of a “major nuclear accident” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russian troops in Ukraine, amid the evacuation of a nearby town where most of the employees live and the situation around the plant “potentially dangerous”, reports AFP.

“The situation around the Zaporizhzhya NPP is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” warned the head of the department, Raphael Grossi, quoted in the IAEA statement.

The plant, the largest in Europe, has come under gun and artillery fire several times since the start of the conflict, raising fears of disaster.

Agency specialists on the scene continue to hear the sounds of gunfire in the area, the latest on Friday evening, the report said.

Grossi said they are closely monitoring the situation to “determine any potential impact on nuclear safety.”

“This important nuclear facility must be protected. I will continue to insist that all parties commit to this vital goal, and the IAEA will continue to do all it can to help ensure nuclear and station safety,” he added.

Huge tails

On Friday, the head of the region Yevgeny Balytskyi, appointed by Moscow, announced the partial evacuation of 18 Russian-occupied settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, including Energodar.

But this is cause for concern.

The Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, condemned the too quick “evacuation” in Telegram on Saturday. According to him, huge queues formed at the Chongar checkpoint on the Melitopol-Crimea road. It was the same in Tokmok, where there were long queues for bread, and most gas stations ran out of gas.

These evacuations, “temporary”, according to Mr. Balytskyi, primarily concern children with their parents, the elderly and the disabled, as well as patients in hospitals in the conditions of what he says has been an increase in Ukrainian bombing in recent days.

The Russian authorities plan to evacuate about 70,000 people from the occupied cities of the Zaporizhia region, another official of the occupation administration Andriy Kozenko, quoted by TASS, said.

But the evacuation of the employees of the nuclear power plant, whose six reactors are stopped, is currently not foreseen, said Yurii Chernichuk, the director of the site designated by the Russian authorities.

The number of employees at the Zaporizhia station has been gradually reduced since the beginning of the conflict, the IAEA said in a statement, and authorities say the facility is manned by a sufficient number of employees to ensure the safety of the plant.