MOSCOW, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- An employee of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack while driving to work on Monday morning, bringing the number of plant employees killed in Ukrainian attacks to 14.
The worker, an electrician, was driving a car when it was hit by a Ukrainian drone. He died at the scene, the plant's press service said.
Yevgenia Yashina, a spokesperson for the plant, said Ukrainian forces had intensified attacks on Enerhodar, the city where the plant is located, as well as the facility itself, since April.
Yashina said the plant had informed experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stationed at the facility about the incident.
The IAEA said Monday in a social media post that its Director General Rafael Grossi strongly condemned the attack, describing it as "unacceptable attacks violating indispensable nuclear safety pillars."
Grossi called for an immediate end to all such attacks, stressing that plant personnel must be able to perform their vital duties "without undue stress or fear."
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, said in a social media post on Monday that Ukrainian forces "have launched systematic, practically permanent manhunt" of Zaporizhzhia plant employees.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is one of Europe's largest nuclear power facilities. Russia took control of the facility in March 2022, following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Since then, the plant has repeatedly come under shelling and drone attacks, raising international concerns over nuclear safety. ■
