Drone strike sparks fire near UAE's Barakah nuclear power plant

A drone strike triggered a fire at an electrical generator near the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates' Al Dhafra region, authorities confirmed on Sunday. According to a statement shared by Abu Dhabi's media office on X, the blaze occurred outside the plant's inner security perimeter. Officials said no casualties were reported and radiation safety levels remained unaffected following the incident. تعاملت الجهات المختصة في إمارة أبوظبي مع حريق اندلع في مولد كهربائي خارج المحيط الداخلي لمحطة براكة للطاقة النووية في منطقة الظفرة، ناجم عن استهداف بطائرة مسيرة دون تسجيل أي إصابات، ودون أي تأثير على مستويات السلامة الإشعاعية، وقد تم اتخاذ كافة الاجراءات الاحترازية، وسيتم… — مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) May 17, 2026 Emergency teams were immediately deployed to contain the fire, while authorities confirmed that all necessary precautionary measures had been implemented. The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) stated that the incident did not compromise the safety of the nuclear facility or impact the operational readiness of its critical systems. The authority added that all units at the plant continue to function normally. Officials also urged the public to rely only on verified information from official sources and avoid circulating rumours or unconfirmed reports regarding the incident.