\n<\/p>\n
A Russian drone attack has hit the radiation shelter over the damaged reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.<\/p>\n
The overnight strike hit the shelter of the plant’s destroyed former fourth power unit, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, he added.<\/p>\n
As of Friday morning, radiation levels had not increased at the plant, Zelensky said.<\/p>\n
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said fire safety personnel and vehicles responded within minutes of an overnight explosion. No casualties were reported, the agency added.<\/p>\n
The IAEA, which monitors nuclear safety the world, said radiation levels inside and outside Chernobyl remain normal and stable.<\/p>\n
The agency remains on “high alert” after the incident, with its director general Rafael Mariano Grossi saying there is “no room for complacency”.<\/p>\n
Chernobyl is the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident – a catastrophic explosion that sent a plume of radioactive material into the air in 1986, triggering a public health emergency across Europe.<\/p>\n
Zelensky posted footage on X appearing to show damage to the giant shield, made of concrete and steel, which covers the remains of the reactor that lost its roof in the explosion.<\/p>\n
The shield is designed to prevent further radioactive material leaking out over the next century. It measures 275m (900ft) wide and 108m (354ft) tall and has cost $1.6bn (\u00a31.3bn) to construct.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n