Environmental activists had warned on Monday that the fire, near the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, posed a radiation risk. Chernobyl tour operator Yaroslav Yemelianenko, writing on Facebook, had described the situation as critical, saying the fire had reached the abandoned city of Pripyat, two kilometres from where “the most highly active radiation waste of the whole Chernobyl zone is located”. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised transparency on the issue and will meet the head of the emergency services later on Tuesday. Police say they have identified a 27-year old local resident who they accuse of deliberately starting the blaze. It remains unclear if the person, who has reportedly confessed to starting a number of fires “for fun”, is partly or fully responsible.

Source: bd News24 April 14, 2020 08:15 UTC