Zaporizhzhia: The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard explosions and observed smoke coming from a nearby location, the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday. According to Anadolu Agency, the IAEA reported that the team at ZNPP heard explosions and saw smoke from a nearby location where the plant said one of its auxiliary facilities was attacked. The head of the watchdog, Rafael Grossi, cited that the facility, located 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) from the plant's perimeter, was hit by shelling and drone strikes starting at 9 am local time (0600GMT), coinciding with the time the team heard nearby military activity. The statement also mentioned that smoke from the area was still visible later in the afternoon. This incident is part of a series of events in recent weeks and months highlighting nuclear safety risks amid the ongoing military conflict at ZNPP. 'Any attack in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant - regardless of the intended target - poses potential risks also for nuclear safety and must be avoided,' the statement quoted Grossi, who once again called for maximum military restraint near nuclear facilities to prevent the continued risk of a nuclear accident.