Russia evacuates additional staff from Bushehr

Russia’s state-owned Rosatom continues to evacuate employees from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, with a further 198 workers leaving the country in the latest phase.

The evacuations have been under way since the end of February, when armed conflict erupted in Iran, and the security situation appears to be deteriorating further.

At the same time, however, the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned of an incident at the plant. According to available information, a member of the physical protection staff was killed after being hit by a projectile fragment, and several buildings sustained damage from the resulting pressure waves.

Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev described developments at the facility as a scenario that corresponds to the worst fears. He also stated that the victim was of Iranian nationality. The company has informed Russian President Vladimir Putin about the current situation.

(reuters, pir)