The large cooling pool at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, located near the dam that exploded yesterday, is full and has enough water for several months, the UN Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced yesterday.

The upper part of a large Soviet-era dam near a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was breached yesterday, releasing water and flooding the downstream war zone, in what both Ukraine and Russia described as a deliberate attack by the other side.

The man-made lake behind the dam provided water used to cool the cores of the six reactors at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, as well as for spent fuel and emergency diesel generators that had to be used continuously when external power went out of the system.

-There are numerous alternative sources of water. The main large cooling basin is located next to that site above the level of the man-made lake, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement after the Kakhovka dam was breached.

"The lake water should provide enough cooling water for several months," Grossi said, adding that his agency would confirm that "very soon."

In another statement later, the IAEA said the pool was full and had enough water for "several months" as six of the plant's reactors are currently shut down.

-Therefore, it is vital that this cooling pool remains intact. Nothing must be done to potentially compromise its integrity. I call on all parties to ensure that nothing is done to jeopardize it, Grossi said.