Russia reduces staff at Bushehr

Moscow, Mar 25 (EFE).- Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said Wednesday it was reducing staff to a minimum at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant after a second attack near the facility raised concerns about safety and operational risks.

“We are temporarily reducing the number of specialists at the plant to a minimum until the situation normalizes. The health and lives of our employees are our top priority,” Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said in a statement released by the company’s press service.

According to Russian authorities, the third phase of personnel evacuation began Tuesday, and “a vehicle departed this morning toward the border between Iran and Armenia,” Likhachev said.

Rosatom added that two more groups are expected to leave the country soon.

“The situation at the Bushehr nuclear power plant continues to deteriorate,” the company said, noting that another attack occurred Tuesday near power unit No. 1, which is currently in operation.

According to Russian officials, no casualties were reported.

“The most dangerous mistake is to think that the threat only exists in the event of a direct impact on a power unit,” Alexander Uvarov, director of the AtomInfo-Center organization, told TASS.

If external power supply, cooling systems, communication channels, fire safety infrastructure, or other essential components are disabled, the plant’s safe operation could be compromised, he warned.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said Tuesday night that Israeli and U.S. airstrikes once again targeted the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Last Wednesday, a projectile struck one of the technical buildings at Bushehr, which was built by Russian engineers. The facility had previously not been targeted, unlike uranium enrichment sites in Natanz and Isfahan. EFE

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