‘Overworked’ Chernobyl staff too tired for urgent repairs after Russian takeover

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Ukrainian officials have warned that employees at the Chernobyl nuclear site are too tired to make repairs after Russians took over the plant, who have apparently worked the staff almost non-stop for three weeks.

The Russian-occupied site was seized last month by invading forces, and Ukraine officials have warned that repairs must be carried out in the face of a rising chance of disaster.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said: "The Ukrainian regulator informed the IAEA that staff at Chernobyl were no longer carrying out repair and maintenance of safety-related equipment.

"It is in part due to their physical and psychological fatigue after working non-stop for nearly three weeks."

The agency added that 211 technical personnel and guards had not been able to rotate shifts from the facility since the day Russian troops entered.

Director General Grossi called the situation increasingly dire and voiced safety and security concerns for the staff stuck working at the nuclear plant.

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Talks between Ukraine and Russia have proposed a framework that would allow the IAEA to deliver assistance to the facility, The Sun reported.

He added: "We can't afford to lose more time. The IAEA stands ready to act immediately, based on our proposed framework that requires agreement from the parties of the conflict before it can be implemented."

He continued: "We can only provide assistance to Ukraine's nuclear sites once it has been signed. I'm doing everything I can to make this happen very soon."

Reports yesterday said the nuclear powerplant had lost power when Russian forces took over, which meant cooling systems were left relying on backup power, Daily Mail reported.

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The main power has since been restored, with the Ukrainian nuclear company Energoatom warning that radioactive substances could be released onto a high-voltage power line if repairs did not go ahead.

Ukraine has warned that the staff on the Chernobyl site are too tired to make the necessary repairs, with a hopeful IAEA solution in the works.

• Chernobyl
• Russia
• Ukraine

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