Around 210 technicians and locally employed security guards have been working at the decommissioned nuclear power plant for almost two weeks without stopping because it has not been possible to send in new shifts after Russia seized control of the plant.
They have food and water, but their situation is deteriorating, according to the IAEA.
In addition, the IAEA no longer has contact with monitoring equipment in the facility. Such equipment enables the IAEA to know that all nuclear material is in place.
– The specially designed superstructure over the destroyed reactor at the Chernobyl power plant. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / NTB
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– I am deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation that the employees are facing, and the potential risk it poses for nuclear safety, says IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
IAEA refers to information from the Ukrainian regulatory authority responsible for the country’s nuclear power plants. It is urgent to get a replacement and get a new shift in place, according to the regulatory authority.
The facility is surrounded by Russian soldiers, according to the BBC. A relative of one of the employees tells the British broadcaster that the Russians can not guarantee the safety of employees on their way to and from the power plant.
The Chernobyl power plant was the site of the worst nuclear accident of all time in April 1986.
Chernobyl was shut down after the worst nuclear accident of all time in April 1986, but radioactive material is still stored in the facility.
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