Can nuclear inspectors keep Zaporizhzhia out of danger?

International Atomic Energy Agency personnel have arrived in Ukraine to inspect the Zaporizhzhia power plant. With the nuclear facility now sitting at the centre of the Russia Ukraine conflict, global leaders are calling for a demilitarisation of the region amid growing fears of a radiation leak.

Ukrainian Emergency Ministry rescuers attend an exercise in case of a possible nuclear incident at the Zaporizhzhia power plant Source: Getty / DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, was briefly knocked offline last week after shelling in the wider region.

Now, satellite imagery is showing the recent destruction to the roof of a building near several of the nuclear reactors, and bush fires outside the main power plant facilities.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns a radiation leak caused by Russian attacks could put humanity at risk.

The mounting dangers have seen local authorities handing out anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents.

The stakes could not be much higher for the group of experts visiting the plant, in a country where the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster remains painfully real.

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