Updated

State officials say Indian police have fired at protesters near a nuclear power plant being constructed in southern India, killing one person.

The Tamil Nadu state government says police fired Monday to disperse about 2,000 people who were demonstrating against the loading of nuclear fuel in the Russian-built reactor. It says the protesters threw stones and sticks at police near the Kudankulam Atomic Power Project, and five officers were injured.

Construction of the plant has been delayed by protests in the past year by residents and anti-nuclear groups concerned about safety following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan last year.

The government says the plant, about 700 kilometers (440 miles) south of Chennai, the state capital, will meet safety standards.