Smoke from wildfires near Chernobyl engulfs Ukraine capital

Air quality in Kiev has been affected by the forest wildfires

Smoke from wildfires in the contaminated evacuation zone around the wrecked Chernobyl nuclear power plant has engulfed Kiev, placing the Ukrainian capital near the top of the global air pollution index.

Authorities said radiation levels in the city have remained normal, but advised residents to stay home and close their windows.

About 1,000 firefighters backed by aircraft have been deployed to battle the forest blazes near the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, which took place 34 years ago.

Wildfires erupted in the forests around Chernobyl on 4 April, thought to be accidentally sparked by residents burning rubbish. The firefighting teams managed to contain the initial blazes, but new fires erupted on Thursday, sweeping into wider areas thanks to strong winds.

Live air quality data on monitoring site iqair.com placed the Ukrainian capital right behind several cities in China in air pollution on Friday.

Authorities said radiation levels in Kiev, about 60 miles south of the plant, were within norms. They also insisted the wildfires were posing no threat to radioactive waste dumps and other facilities at Chernobyl, but advised Kiev residents to drink a lot of water and cover windows with wet fabric if they open them.

The fires are in the 1,000 square mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone established after the 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe. The zone is largely unpopulated.

Philippine troops clashed with dozens of Abu Sayyaf militants allied with the Islamic State group in the country’s south, leaving 11 soldiers dead and 14 others wounded, military officials said.

Regional military commander Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said army scout rangers were manoeuvring for an assault when they engaged about 40 Abu Sayyaf fighters in the forested mountains near Danag village in Patikul town in Sulu province. The gunbattle raged for an hour before the militants withdrew