The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi reiterated Thursday his "deep concern" about the repeated occurrence of landmine explosions near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
It comes after the area experienced frequent shelling in the past few months.
IAEA experts present at the plant were informed Thursday "about two more landmine explosions outside the plant perimeter fence, bringing the total to five this week," IAEA said in a statement.
One explosion occurred Wednesday afternoon "in the area of a channel transporting water to the plant for its cooling system, which is essential for nuclear safety. It did not cause any damage," IAEA said.
The second explosion "took place at 1pm today some 500 metres from reactor unit 1. There was no major damage, but further investigations will be conducted."
"As the previous three landmine explosions reported by the IAEA this week, they were believed to have been caused by animals," it added.
Separately, Grossi said that the IAEA is organizing the third assistance shipment of equipment to Ukraine this week "as part of efforts to help ensure nuclear safety & security during the current conflict."