Ukrainian firefighters, two weeks after a drone strike on the morning of February 14th that hit the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, are still working to extinguish smoldering fires within the large structure built over the reactor that was damaged during the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, reported Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"Frequent radiation monitoring conducted by Ukraine and independent measurements carried out by the IAEA continue to show normal levels both at the NSC and in other areas of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant," the agency stated in a message on its website on Thursday.
According to the report, with unrestricted access, the IAEA team on site has been closely monitoring the situation following the early morning strike on February 14th, which created a large hole in the structure designed to prevent any potential release of radioactive material into the atmosphere from the "Shelter" object, which covers the damaged reactor and protects it from external threats.
Using thermal imaging, including the deployment of observation drones, Ukrainian experts have localized the smoldering spots within the insulation between the layers of the arch structure of the NSC, injecting water to extinguish the fires. Working in shifts, over 400 emergency service personnel have been involved in addressing the aftermath of the drone strike, the IAEA reported.
"Firefighters and other response services are working very hard under challenging circumstances to mitigate the impact and consequences of the drone strike. Clearly, this was a serious incident from a nuclear safety perspective, although it could have been much worse. As I have repeatedly stated during this devastating war, an attack on a nuclear facility should never happen," emphasized Director General Grossi.
Furthermore, the IAEA team at the Chernobyl site reported numerous air raids over the past week, which at times led to the suspension of firefighting activities on the roof of the NSC. The agency was also informed of the presence of drones within five kilometers of the site, including two above one of the interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel.
It is noted that the IAEA expert group observed the remnants of the drone in Kyiv on Thursday, which, according to the Ukrainian side, were collected after the strike on the NSC. The team observed parts of the drone that they believe correspond to a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle. However, the team did not conduct any further assessment of the drone's origin, as clarified in the release.