An emergency core cooling system for spraying cooling water onto a nuclear reactor core of a nuclear reactor includes at least one header disposed in the nuclear reactor and arranged at an upper and outer circumferential position with respect to the reactor core. A plurality of spray nozzles are mounted on the at least one header for spraying cooling water onto the reactor core. The spray nozzles have a center axis and at least one of the plurality of spray nozzles is mounted on the at least one header so that the center axis thereof extends upwardly with respect to a horizontal axis whereas at least one of the remaining plurality of spray nozzles has the center axis thereof extending downwardly with respect to the horizontal axis. Cooling water is conducted to the at least one header for enabling spraying of the water in the emergency situation.