UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo on Friday expressed concern about the situation in the area of Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and called for efforts to prevent "nuclear incidents."

The Secretary General (of the UN) with great concern has followed reports of clashes near Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Conducting hostilities near nuclear facilities and other important civilian infrastructure is not only unacceptable, but also extremely irresponsible, DiCarlo said.

According to her, the accident at Chornobyl nuclear power plant is a long-term example of why it is necessary to ensure high safety standards at all nuclear power plants.

Every effort must be made to avoid catastrophic nuclear incidents, she added.